Wi-Fi 6E is the upcoming standard for an extension of Wi-Fi 6

With the growing demand to connect more devices to the network, Wi-Fi 6E will enable enterprises and service providers to support new and emerging applications and keep each connected device performing at an optimum level.

The newly termed Wi-Fi 6E is going to address Wi-Fi spectrum shortage issues by providing additional and contiguous channel bandwidth, supporting an ever-growing number of devices at unprecedented speeds. The added 1200 MHz in the 6 GHz band will enable enterprises to deliver faster, more reliable enterprise Wi-Fi networks.

These networks will be highly scalable and resilient, with simplified architectures, improving their ability to support more users at multigigabit speeds—even in very congested environments with many mobile and IoT devices. Wi-Fi 6E further increases the network capacity and efficiency for demanding and mission-critical applications that require higher throughput, such as enterprise video streaming and video conference. The initial generation of Wi-Fi 6E chipsets is now available for vendors to start the development of both access points and mobile devices.

Enterprise IT departments worldwide are developing their Wi-Fi 6E deployment strategies. Wi-Fi 6E products will be available in the next two years. As client devices (which often lag chipset development) become more widely available, organizations whose requirements go beyond the reach of 802.11ax are likely to initiate migration projects.

Wi-Fi 6E provides all the features and capabilities of 802.11ax, but it does so by operating in the 6 GHz band. 802.11ax goes beyond boosting network speed and combines innovative technologies to improve overall network performance when connecting a large number of devices running high-bandwidth, low-latency applications.

Wi-Fi 6E is expected to support more simultaneous users connecting to the network at high speeds with lower latency making Wi-Fi 6E and the 6 GHz spectrum work.

A report highlights, with overcrowded airwaves currently limiting the potential of Wi-Fi, it’s no wonder that more than 70 countries have already acted, or are considering acting, to open the 6 gigahertz band for unlicensed Wi-Fi use.

Wi-Fi 6E will first roll out in high-end smartphones and laptop PCs, meaning it may be helpful to consider where device users are likely to congregate and work versus areas they will primarily travel through. Once Wi-Fi 6E devices have gained broader adoption, network architects should look seriously at ensuring they have multigigabit ports on the switches driving their APs.