Wi-Fi 6 is expected to expand to 6GHz
In September last year, the Wi-Fi Alliance launched the Wi-Fi 6 certification program, which means that the Wi-Fi 6 standard has officially landed. Recently, the Alliance announced that it will extend Wi-Fi 6 from the existing 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands to 6 GHz.
The Wi-Fi Alliance says it is introducing new terminology to distinguish upcoming Wi-Fi 6 devices that can operate at 6 GHz. The new generic name is “Wi-Fi 6E” to identify devices that will provide Wi-Fi 6 features and functions, including higher performance, lower latency, and faster data rates.
Wi-Fi is currently unable to use the 6GHz band, as it is still awaiting approval from global regulators. However, it is said that recently the FCC Chairman Ajit Pai expressed his intention to provide the 6GHz band to Wi-Fi, so the proposal seems to be approved soon.
Once approved by regulators, smartphones and consumer access points are expected to be the first devices to adopt the technology, followed by enterprise access points. According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, Wi-Fi 6E is especially useful for AR and VR. 6 GHz solves the problem of Wi-Fi spectrum shortage by providing continuous blocks of spectrum to accommodate 14 additional 80 MHz channels and 7 additional 160 MHz channels. These channels are high-bandwidth applications that require higher data throughput.
