A world with no Wi-Fi

We see the Wi-fi icon everywhere, from the screen of our phones to the door of a restaurant. However, an increasing amount of companies have started to offer unlimited data plan that might lead wi-fi users to not even turn on the wi-fi on their phone, get a wireless router at home or freak out in public spaces because “there is no wi-fi here”. Lately, companies have started to develop and use new technologies that allow users to use the internet at the same speed as wi-fi in broader areas. One example is LTE-U which allows carriers to increase their coverage in an unlicensed spectrum and thus provide an alternative to wi-fi hotspots. The current problem with this is that it obstructs wi-fi signals. More and more companies, such as Ericcson, Verizon and T-Mobile are testing this new system and they want to implement it because of its convenience and because it allows to offload data consumption. Thus, It seems that wi-fi could be endangered by these new technologies and that the possibility of a world without wi-fi may become a reality.