The Federal Communications Commission has approved its proposal to open up the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, creating a new range of 1,200 MHz (5.925–7.125 GHz) for Wi-Fi services. This increases the amount of spectrum available for Wi-Fi by nearly a factor of five.
The 6 GHz band is currently used by microwave services such as wireless backhaul, utilities and public safety applications. Unlicensed devices will share this spectrum with the incumbent services under rules crafted to protect those licensed services, the FCC said.
The regulator's decision authorizes indoor low-power operations over the full 1,200 MHz and standard-power devices in 850 MHz in the 6 GHz band. An automated frequency coordination system will prevent standard power access points from operating where they could cause interference to incumbent services.
The US regulator started consulting on the plans in 2018, and equipment makers have already been preparing for the new band. The Wi-Fi Alliance expects the first access points for the new band will hit the market by Q4.
The industry group has given equipment working in the 6 GHz band the designation Wi-Fi 6E and expects to have the first such devices certified in early 2021. The alliance said its members have been quick to embrace the new band, with initial forecasts expecting more than 316 million Wi-Fi 6E devices will enter the market next year.
The FCC also opened a consultation on a proposal to permit very low-power devices to operate across the 6 GHz band, in order to support high data rate applications such as wearables and mixed reality devices. The notice also seeks comment on increasing the power at which low-power indoor access points may operate.
The Wireless Broadband Alliance has already been conducting tests of Wi-Fi 6E said it achieved speeds of 2Gbps and consistent 2-ms latency. The trials carried out in California by WBA member companies Broadcom and Intel demonstrate that Wi-Fi 6E can meet the needs of industrial and consumer applications of virtual and augmented reality technology, the industry group said.
