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Just as you were getting your head around 5G networks, the wireless industry throws another bunch of standards at you. Your customers want to know how next-gen wireless developments such as Wi-Fi 6, 6E, 5G, and 6GHz will impact their businesses.

If your immediate reaction is, “Enough already!” you wouldn’t be alone.

If you are not a techie, it’s hard to keep up with emerging technologies and standards within the wireless industry. Yet, it’s in your interest to gain a basic understanding of the new standards and their impact on your customer’s business. Specifically, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and 5G, and their use within the 6GHz spectrum are expected to change the wireless networking landscape over the next couple of years.

So, what’s with the alphabet soup?

Wi-Fi has become synonymous with in-building mobility.

Until recently, there was no ambiguity around the key benefits of Wi-Fi: It is faster and less expensive than cellular networks.

However, most consumers could never tell if they were using the latest generation of Wi-Fi technology or not. The complex set of numbers and alphabets made it difficult for users to intuitively figure out and take advantage of the most advanced version.  

The new Wi-Fi standards are as easy as 1, 2, 3

In October 2018, the Wi-Alliance simplified the naming convention for Wi-Fi standards by renaming the 802.11ax standard (the most recent one at that time) to Wi-Fi 6. The two previous significant releases 802.11ac and 802.11n, were also re-designated as Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 4. The legacy standards — older than 802.11n — remained officially unchanged.

Should you care?

At the fundamental level, the Wi-Fi generation displayed on devices will help you determine the vintage of the product that you are buying. There is no more research required from you to ensure that your product supports the latest standard and that you are benefiting from incremental capabilities and features.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 devices are expected to inherently support faster data rates and higher capacity traffic, enabling superior performance in high-density locations such as convention centres and sports stadiums.

The increased security and interoperability features built into the Wi-Fi 6 standard also make it a better option for Machine-to-Machine communications in IoT and other Industry 4.0 environments.

Simply put, Wi-Fi 6 is better than Wi-Fi 5, which is better than Wi-Fi 4, and so on.

No-brainer.

That brings us to Wi-Fi 6E.

Wi-Fi 6E is the designation that the Wi-Fi Alliance has given to a new standard that leverages the frequency band 6 GHz for Wi-Fi networks. Wi-Fi 6E has more to do with the frequency spectrum that it operates in, rather than an enhancement within the standard itself.

A typical internet router in your home allows you to set up Wi-Fi networks in two unlicensed frequencies: 2.4 GHz or 5.0 GHz.

Unlike licensed radio frequency bands that are provided exclusively to broadcasters, service providers, and others like them, unlicensed frequencies are available for use without a licensing fee. Wi-Fi networks leverage such unlicensed frequencies for multi-user communications. The non-restrictive nature of unlicensed frequencies can lead to contention and interference on the network. That would explain why your neighbour’s Wi-Fi access point shows up on your device when you look for available connections.

While 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks provide faster data rates covering shorter distances, 2.4 GHz networks are better suited for longer distances, albeit at slower speeds. Devices that require broader coverage, such as a Roomba Robot Vacuum, work better with 2.4 GHz networks.

Wi-Fi 6E is designed to operate in the 6 GHz frequency band, which until now has not been available for such use. With a larger number of high-capacity communication channels, Wi-Fi 6E is expected to take Wi-Fi 6 to the next level of high-speed, low-latency wireless communications.

You could say that Wi-Fi 6 and 6E are the Wi-Alliance’s answer to 5G.

As of the time of writing this post, Wi-Fi 6E is not an approved standard.

On April 23^rd, 2020, FCC will vote to decide whether it should approve the use of unlicensed 6 GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi 6E.

There is industry-wide optimism that it will be approved.

So, where does 5G fit in?

The rollout of 5G networks brings competition to Wi-Fi networks. It’s no longer a given that a Wi-Fi network will always be superior to a cellular network.

A 2019 study by OpenSignal shows that download speeds on mobile networks, in many parts of the world, are comparable to that of Wi-Fi networks.

Developments in 5G networks have brought about new opportunities that previously did not exist in the cellular space. High-speed, low-interference cellular networks, delivered by 5G, may take a bite out of the in-building wireless network market currently dominated by Wi-Fi. 5G stakeholders are already vying for a piece of the 6 GHz pie.

For now, cellular networks continue to have usage charges that add to their cost. In the short term, users who have already invested in Wi-Fi routers are less likely to swap out their landline in favour of a 5G-based Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) or turn to their smartphone’s hotspot to connect to the Internet.

Customers’ applications will determine which high-speed wireless network is the right one for them. What works great in a high-density office tower may not work as well in a rural setting.

The coexistence of Wi-Fi and 5G will most likely become the norm.

Time will tell.