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FCC approves Wi-Fi 6E, allowing unlicensed use of 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi

Wireless Broadband Alliance CEO: ‘Wi-Fi 6E will rewrite the rules of what is possible’

While the FCC’s decision to open up the 6 GHz frequency band for use by Wi-Fi 6 technology may not have been particularly surprising, the fact that something like this hasn’t been done in more than two decades still makes the approval a monumental one.

The ability to leverage the 6 GHz band for unlicensed Wi-Fi operation — referred to as Wi-Fi 6E — will deliver faster connectivity speeds and improved capacity when compared to both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, making it ideal for smartphones, tablets, laptops and, perhaps most exciting, virtual/augmented devices. Further, the MU-MIMO capabilities of 802.11ax, or Wi-Fi 6, combined with 6 GHz will create a number of use cases both in the home and in the enterprise space.

“Extending Wi-Fi into the 6GHz spectrum band can provide more Wi-Fi capacity than all the other bands put together,” Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) CEO Tiago Rodrigues explained. “What’s more, using Wi-Fi 6 technology in the extended will deliver higher speeds, low latency and service levels that are equivalent to 5G networks and be able to support the widespread, low-cost, use of advanced business, industrial and consumer applications.”

“In terms of the capability and capacity of networks, Wi-Fi 6E, will rewrite the rules of what is possible,” he added.

For its part, the WBA has been piloting a series of Wi-Fi 6 trials across different verticals including Industry 4.0, residential, education, transportation hubs and sports stadiums etc., and have been actively extending these trials to encompass Wi-Fi 6E and additional verticals.

One trial in particular, took place in San Jose, CA and showed speeds of 2 Gbps — comparable to 5G cellular service speeds — and a consistent two-millisecond low-latency connection.

Broadcom was quick to jump on Wi-Fi 6E opportunities even before the FCC’s vote was scheduled, announcing a portfolio of Wi-Fi 6E chips as early as mid-February. The company anticipates that in the next three years, as many as 500 million Wi-Fi 6E compatible laptops and mobile devices will be in use.

 

ABOUT AUTHOR

Catherine Sbeglia Nin
Catherine Sbeglia Nin
Catherine is the Managing Editor for RCR Wireless News and Enterprise IoT Insights, where she covers topics such as Wi-Fi, network infrastructure and edge computing. She also hosts Arden Media's podcast Well, technically... After studying English and Film & Media Studies at The University of Rochester, she moved to Madison, WI. Having already lived on both coasts, she thought she’d give the middle a try. So far, she likes it very much.