The FCC will vote at its meeting in April on plans to open up the 6GHz band for unlicensed use by Wi-Fi applications. The US regulator started consulting on the plans in 2018, and equipment makers have already been preparing for the new band.
If approved, the plan would open another 1,200 MHz for Wi-Fi, helping alleviate congestion in existing Wi-Fi bands. Two different types of unlicensed operations would be authorised: standard-power in 850 MHz of the band and indoor low-power operations over the full 1,200 MHz. An automated frequency coordination system would prevent standard power access points from operating where they could cause interference to incumbent licensed services in the 6 GHz band.
The FCC meeting to vote on the proposal will be held 23 April.
The announcement was largely welcomed by the wireless industry. The National Association of Broadcasters sounded a word of caution, noting that the FCC would need to ensure that local broadcasters using the 6 GHz band do not see their services disrupted.
