Celona Launches Orion: Is Now the Time for Converged Network Solutions to Take Off?

In August 2026, Celona announced the launch of Orion, a converged wireless platform that unifies Wi-Fi, private 5G, public cellular, and satellite links with agentic-based management and orchestration. To support network convergence, the company also released new Wi-Fi 7 Access Points (APs) that can be deployed by its customers under a single subscription and are included at no additional charge. Additionally, the company introduced Celona Orchestrator AI, an evolution of its existing orchestration platform with expanded Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities for network operations that can integrate flexibly with an enterprise’s existing Large Language Model (LLM) platform and agents through open, standards-based interfaces. This agentic orchestration solution can integrate seamlessly with other enterprise agents to simplify and enhance network management.

Lastly, the company also introduced its open-source wireless agent, AerConnect, that can help developers build intelligent multi-network wireless capabilities into their products. This enables them to switch automatically between private 5G, Wi-Fi, public cellular, and satellite, based on the specific application and workload, and is highly relevant for mobility-dependent use cases, such as autonomous vehicles and robotics.

It is important to note that Wi-Fi and cellular convergence is not a new concept. It is widely accepted that both technologies are not directly competing but are instead complementary. For instance, cellular technologies typically support longer ranges, have higher reliability, and have been viewed as being better able to handle mobility use cases, while Wi-Fi networks can support very high data throughputs, are cost-effective, and are a more familiar technology for enterprises. Each technology supports a specific set of use cases and scenarios, making convergence a highly practical solution.

The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) is a strong advocate for this convergence and has conducted a series of studies on this technology. The Private 5G and Wi-Fi Convergence Report: Phase 1 was issued in May 2023 and set out the key use cases and requirements for converged solutions. In this study, four possible deployment models for bringing 5G into enterprise networks were identified. Phase 2 was issued in December 2024 and examined architectural and technical solutions to ensure seamless interworking between Wi-Fi and 5G networks. Some of the features covered include security, Wide Area Network (WAN) acceleration, and load balancing to improve network performance. Phase 3, which was launched in 2025, focuses on defining an industry standard for Radio Access Network (RAN) convergence. Features, such as OpenRoaming and Access Traffic Steering, Switching, and Splitting (ATSSS), also make it more seamless to switch between Wi-Fi and 4G/5G networks.

Given that Wi-Fi and cellular convergence is not a new concept, the question to ask is, “why now?” In ABI Research’s opinion, this is the right time for converged network solutions to take off, given the following:

• Private 4G/5G Networks Are Entering the Mainstream Phase: Based on ABI Research’s analysis, the private cellular market is now relatively mature, with over 7,000 physical deployments recorded (excluding virtual-based networks) and with the Total Addressable Market (TAM) reaching almost US$12 billion in 2025. There is now a significant market to explore the deployment of Wi-Fi and cellular converged solutions.
• Maturity of Wi-Fi 7: The evolution of Wi-Fi technology to the 7th generation in 2024 introduced enhancements for deterministic performance and latency, bringing the network performance closer to 5G. 5G networks can now hand off mission-critical type operations to Wi-Fi networks. This is an important factor, given the significant interest in bringing Physical AI onto production floors and the need to establish always-on connectivity for mobility and automation use cases across both indoor and outdoor areas.
• Satellite Is No Longer a Niche: Beyond access solutions, end users are now offered a plethora of backhaul options. For example, with the emergence of Starlink, satellite broadband connectivity prices have been significantly reduced. As a result, satellite convergence is moving beyond traditional maritime and offshore markets toward fixed-land operations as well. This increases the number of WAN options available, but managing each connectivity option in isolation is a tedious and difficult task.
• Improved Funding Models: New business models, such as Networks-as-a-Service (Naas), lower upfront Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) costs and make converged solutions more accessible.

With Agentic and Physical AI developing at a rapid pace, enterprises seeking to fully leverage these technologies need to start assessing whether their existing network infrastructure can support these new workloads. On the RAN side, the deployment of both Wi-Fi and cellular technologies simultaneously can support a wider range of autonomous robotic use cases, as well as device types, whereas on the backhaul side, having multiple WAN options increases the resiliency of the enterprise network. If a multi-approach is chosen, enterprises now have unified platforms and AI Agent automation to reduce the operational complexities of managing multiple networks via a single pane of glass.

From the vendor perspective, the next challenge will be to increase the flexibility of deployment for their end users, which is in line with the overall objective of converged solutions. Most brownfield enterprises will have deployed some form of network connectivity in the past (likely to be Wi-Fi) and new converged solutions will need to integrate seamlessly with legacy infrastructure instead of a rip-and-replace project. To support this, features, such as 1) multi-vendor support, 2) migration services, or 3) integration with edge compute solutions could be considered. Highly customizable subscription plans should also be made available as the deployment scenario for each customer would differ significantly.

In conclusion, ABI Research is of the opinion that market conditions are now ripe for network convergence to take off. With vendors such as Celona launching new solutions this year, incumbent players such as Cisco, HPE Aruba, and Nokia will need to assess how they can deliver additional value to their end users on their converged Wi-Fi and cellular management platforms.