I understand that NR-U is a full implementation of a 5G base station (and client handset/CPE if you can find one that actually implements NR-U!), and therefore you will require patent licenses for the full implemented stack.
In an ideal world, your radio manufacturer and software vendors would have appropriate patent licenses in place.
For this and other reasons (handset support being commercially problematic since carriers want to preserve their dominance), I don't see NR-U really replacing Wi-Fi. The friction to joining a device to a network is also far higher, and there's much more complexity in running the network and architecting a suitable core network and user plane functions and keeping it all running. WiFi really is a lot simpler in many ways.
Well NR-U is pretty much a Qualcomm technology ( MultiFire ) brought to 3GPP for standardisation. So I expect it to be supported in all 3GPP Rel 16 modem and Qualcomm X60+ modem as well. I dont think Handset support would be a concern unless I am missing something.
I was hoping for some exemption or special arrangement on the patent issues for consumer private 5G Network. WiFI just sucks, comparatively speaking. Including WiFI 6E. And judging from the ways they are doing things I have very little hope for 802.11ay and 802.11be ( WiFi 7 ).
In an ideal world, your radio manufacturer and software vendors would have appropriate patent licenses in place.
For this and other reasons (handset support being commercially problematic since carriers want to preserve their dominance), I don't see NR-U really replacing Wi-Fi. The friction to joining a device to a network is also far higher, and there's much more complexity in running the network and architecting a suitable core network and user plane functions and keeping it all running. WiFi really is a lot simpler in many ways.