If you live and/or work in an urban environment, you may have noticed 2.4GHz WiFi may not be so reliable as too many people are using the frequency leading to interference. 5 GHz WiFi is here to help, but with the Internet of Things more and more WiFi devices will come online in the next few years, and there won’t be enough capacity using 2.4 and 5 GHz. 60GHz WiFi (802.11ad/802.11ay) may not work for IoT since the signal would not go through walls.
That’s why the Wi-Fi Alliance has introduced WiFi 6E, and upgrade of WiFi 6, that can leverage 6 GHz unlicensed spectrum and expand the bandwidth available for Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi 6E may soon become available because of recent or future regulatory changes to the 6 GHz spectrum in various countries. In the US, the proposal to open the 5.925 – 7.125 GHz spectrum was made on October 23, 2018, but the final decision is still pending.
The Wi-Fi Alliance expects the 6 GHz spectrum to become available around the world, and supports international advocacy efforts to make this additional spectrum available to Wi-Fi users while protecting existing devices in the band. IDC mentions the US is taking the lead in enabling 6 GHz for WiFi, but Europe and APAC are also working on opening it up.
WiFI 6E will allow 14 additional 80 MHz channels and 7 additional 160 MHz channels for high-bandwidth applications such as high-definition video streaming and virtual reality.
It’s unclear when the first WiFI 6E routers and devices are expected to hit the market, but I suspect it may take a few more years due as regulations need changes. Cisco also published an article about 6 GHz WiFi a few months ago, and how it can help 5G operators provide high-speed network access indoors where 5G signals may not penetrate very well.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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