The Wireless Broadband Alliance has released a position paper calling for Wi-Fi to sit at the core of 6G specifications, framing the unlicensed technology as a prerequisite for the indoor coverage and ubiquitous connectivity that the next mobile generation promises.

WBA president and CEO Tiago Rodrigues branded Wi-Fi "fundamental" to the coverage ambitions laid out in the ITU's IMT-2030 framework for 6G. The alliance, which represents operators, vendors and Wi-Fi ecosystem players, argues the next connectivity shift will fall short without it.

Why does the WBA want Wi-Fi inside 6G?

Rodrigues said the report provides a "practical framework that can reduce cost and complexity" for operators building out 6G. Wi-Fi is "already a common technology" for internal connectivity in homes, offices, factories and public venues, giving 6G a ready-made indoor layer that licensed mobile networks have struggled to replicate at scale.

The pitch lands in a market where Wi-Fi carries the bulk of indoor data traffic in most regions, even as 5G mid-band and millimetre-wave deployments expand. The WBA is asking standards bodies to formalise that reality inside 6G rather than treat Wi-Fi as an adjunct.

What does the proposal actually change?

The alliance wants access models rewritten so a single device or session can run on Wi-Fi or mobile networks as conditions shift, removing the manual handoffs that have dogged earlier convergence efforts between Wi-Fi, 4G and 5G. Such agnostic set-ups would let operators steer traffic to whichever network offers the right economics, coverage or capacity at a given moment.

The report lists four commercial objectives: lower network costs, smoother customer experience, increased automation and new service opportunities. Rodrigues framed the package as one that "would benefit operators and device makers, alike."

The WBA flagged cost as the principal barrier to previous Wi-Fi and 5G convergence attempts, suggesting operators remain cautious about paying twice — once for licensed spectrum and once for unlicensed — without a clear revenue return.

Which services stand to gain?

The alliance named autonomous networks, industrial connectivity, emergency service communications and digital logistics as the verticals most exposed to indoor coverage gaps today. Each requires the "consistent user experience and deep indoor coverage" the ITU's IMT-2030 framework already names as a 6G target.

Industrial sites, warehouses and ports have rolled out private 5G networks in recent years, yet Wi-Fi continues to handle large volumes of terminal and sensor traffic inside the same facilities. Consolidating those estates around a single access policy is one of the cost arguments the WBA is pressing.

What happens next?

The WBA has not named a specific 3GPP release or ITU working group meeting for its first formal contribution. The paper is positioned as input to ongoing 6G discussions, with the IMT-2030 framework as the immediate reference point. Converting the position into binding specifications will depend on whether mobile operators and infrastructure vendors treat the convergence case as commercial relief or as another integration bill.