Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) on Tuesday announced the first phase of Wi-Fi 6E trials showing multi-Gigabit speeds and the low-latency connections required for the next generation of connectivity.
WBA says that opening the 6 GHz band to Wi-Fi 6 technology would remove pain points currently caused by overcrowding on many Wi-Fi networks. The new band will provide more capacity than all the other Wi-Fi bands put together and deliver connections with speeds equivalent to the new advanced 5G mobile networks. Wi-Fi 6E can also support the low-latency levels required for mobile gaming, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) applications, and Industry 4.0 solutions.
The trials conducted thus far used Wi-Fi 6E-capable mobile platforms and laptop equipment enabled by WBA member companies, Broadcom and Intel. During the enterprise trials, which took place in San Jose, California, speeds of 2Gbps were achieved, comparable to 5G cellular service speeds, as well as a consistent two-millisecond low-latency connection. The trials showed that Wi-Fi 6E meets the needs of both consumer and industrial VR/AR applications.
Wi-Fi 6E technology is built for performance in congested places like subway stations and WBA will trial these next generation devices in crowded environments. The next stage of Wi-Fi 6E trials is scheduled to take place over the coming months and will include subway transportation systems and in-home testing with CableLabs, SK Telecom and Transit Wireless.
Tiago Rodrigues, CEO, WBA
Wi-Fi 6 networks extended into the 6GHz spectrum represent a multi-generational shift in Wi-Fi services and the user experience. The Wi-Fi 6 standard and the 6GHz spectrum in combination can play a powerful role to deliver advanced mobile services to consumers, business and industry.
