FCC gives green light to use 6GHz band for WiFi 6e

The Federal Communications Commission is making 1200MHz of spectrum in the 6GHz frequency band available for Wi-Fi. This removes an important obstacle to the arrival of WiFi 6e.

The FCC has issued new rules for using 1200MHz of spectrum in the 6GHz band without the need for licenses. With its decision, the American agency is the first regulator to agree to the use of the frequencies for WiFi 6e, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance, the organization that oversees the implementation of the WiFi standard.

The alliance expects the first products with Wi-Fi 6e support to be released this year, with the first Wi-Fi 6e access points expected to arrive in the fourth quarter of this year. Then it is expected to be ‘Wi-Fi 6th draft’ support until the certification procedures are drawn up and completed. Smartphones, PCs, TVs and VR headsets will follow in 2021 according to the alliance. The support is via chipsets, so existing devices are not eligible. Also, availability outside the US is subject to approval by local regulators.

Intel and Broadcom are pleased with the approval. Intel and Broadcom reported last month that they gave a demonstration at the FCC demonstrating speeds of almost 2 Gbit/s and a latency of 2 milliseconds.

The Wi-Fi Alliance announced Wi-Fi 6th in January. It is an extension to Wi-Fi 6, or the 802.11ax protocol that allows devices to use the 6GHz frequency band, in addition to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. 1200MHz is therefore available in the 6GHz band, with, for example, up to seven channels with a width of 160MHz. Wifi 6e enables faster speeds, lower latency and higher capacities, with less chance of congestion. Due to the higher frequencies, the range is somewhat more limited than 5GHz and considerably more limited than 2.4GHz.

Source: Broadcom