- Federal Communications Commission votes to free up 6GHz spectrum in the US
- This will mean more airwaves for internet routers, less latency and faster speeds
- Apple and Intel are among those working on devices that operate on 6GHz band
The US Federal Communications Commission is opening up radio spectrum in the 6GHz frequency band, ushering a new era of fast, low-latency internet connections.
The decision, voted on unanimously by the FCC, will add 1,200 Megahertz of Wi-Fi for unlicensed use and increase the amount of Wi-Fi spectrum by nearly fivefold.
The release of the spectrum offers new radio waves for routers, and is likely to result in better Wi-Fi service speeds, hyper-low latency and higher network capacity.
For broadband customers, there will be more airwaves that home routers can make use of to broadcast Wi-Fi signals, helping to reduce network congestion.
Tech giant Intel called it the ‘most significant contribution to Wi-Fi in nearly 20 years’, while Apple said ‘it sets the course for the next generation of Wi-Fi networks’.
Smartphone and hardware manufacturers in the US will be focusing their efforts on marketing devices that accommodate this new spectrum – branded Wi-Fi 6E.
The European Commission is expected to follow suit with a similar decision later this year to free up 6GHz in Europe, while UK telecoms regulator Ofcom is in ‘advanced stages’ of consultation over the release of 6GHz in Britain.
Release of the spectrum will bring ‘radical change’ for the Wi-Fi industry in terms of service speed, hyper low latency and more importantly, network capacity, the Wireless Broadband Alliance has said
With the decision, the US becomes the first country in the world to open up spectrum in the 6GHz band.
The 6GHz band in the US will add to the currently-used 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands to accommodate extra broadband demand and provide faster data transfers.
No new spectrum has been made available for Wi-Fi in the US for about 20 years, and the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands are ‘crowded’, according to Intel.
This will mean more reliable internet connections for the next generation of devices – in particular ‘smart home’ devices such as connected thermostats and lights.
Devices that use the 6GHz band – Wi-Fi 6E devices – will begin to be available in the second half of this year or early 2021.
WBA graph shows the throughput or processing rate on Wi-Fi 6E is much higher and therefore faster. While it doesn’t have such a long range as the lower spectrum bands (meaning coverage area is somewhat lower), the latency is much lower, meaning less delay – for example, lower lag on video
Early trials of Wi-Fi 6E have already achieved speeds of 2Gbps and consistent two-millisecond low latency connections, according to telco industry association the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA).
‘Extending Wi-Fi into the 6GHz spectrum band can provide more Wi-Fi capacity than all the other bands put together,’ said Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the WBA, which has been conducting Wi-Fi 6 trials with Intel and Broadcom.
‘What’s more, using Wi-Fi 6 technology in the extended band – also known as Wi-Fi 6E – 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.
‘This decision from the FCC now puts pressure on regulators in other countries who will need to catch up with the US.’
Extra spectrum will mean home internet routers will have access to more radio waves to broadcast Wi-Fi signals
In the home, Wi-Fi 6E will mean no congestion when streaming films and video, new opportunities for immersive gaming experiences, as well as no buffering and much faster download speeds, Rodrigues said.
‘In terms of the capability and capacity of networks, Wi-Fi 6E will rewrite the rules of what is possible.’
Trials in California have already demonstrated that Wi-Fi 6E meets the needs of industrial and consumer applications, including augmented and virtual reality technology, the WBA said.
Wi-Fi 6E will be two-and-a-half times faster than the current standard, according to the FCC.
Opening the 6GHz band for ‘unlicensed use’ – which means licenses aren’t needed to use it – will also help improve rural connectivity.
‘Wi-Fi 6E will be truly transformational,’ said Chris Bruce, managing director of GlobalReach Technology, which provides Wi-Fi software.
‘It will accelerate customer experience improvements for operators and enterprises through better connectivity in congested, hard to reach places, and through low-latency levels for consumer and industry applications, along with flexibility and cost-savings.’
Wi-Fi 6E devices will bring several big improvements over current technology, including the ability to maintain high speeds even when multiple devices are drawing on the network.
For routers equipped with Wi-Fi 6E, the technology will double the number of devices that the hardware is capable of communicating with, going from four to eight.
It will also allow data being broadcast by a router to deliver information to multiple devices in one transmission, making the signal more efficient.
The current 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands are crowded and no new spectrum has been made available for Wi-Fi in the US in about 20 years, according to Intel – during which the range of connected devices, use of computing and demand for data has skyrocketed
Wi-Fi 6E could even positively affect device battery life, allowing devices to better map out their communications with a router and in turn reduce the amount of time the antenna stays on.
WBA said it has already been leading Wi-Fi 6E trials in residential and education settings, transport hubs, sports stadiums and more.
‘Wi-Fi 6E technology is designed to deliver performance in highly congested place and the next phase of your trials will prove that performance in real world locations,’ said Rodrigues.
‘These trials will demonstrate the application and the benefits of the technology in live environments and through this accelerate the adoption and creation of new business opportunities enabled by the opening of the 6GHz spectrum to be used for Wi-Fi services.’
Smartphones could be the first consumer devices to adopt Wi-Fi 6E, Phil Solis, a wireless analyst with IDC, told The Verge.
As many as 316 million devices will ship with Wi-Fi 6E support in 2021, he said, followed by tablets and smart TVs in the next two years.
‘Wi-Fi’s a very important part of the phone, so higher-end phones have higher quality Wi-Fi chips in them,’ he said.
‘Smartphones are a key product that makes sense for 6E because people use their phones for pretty much everything.’
The FCC decision also means smartphone makers, hardware developers and network providers will need to be ready for Wi-FI 6E.
This includes Intel, which is developing Wi-Fi 6 chips for access points and PCs, and Apple, which said it is creating ‘innovative new product experiences’.
