New FCC vote will determine the fate of 6 GHz Wi-Fi

With the ever-increasing demand for better Wi-Fi, the improvement of consumer 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands has been on the cards for a while. 6 GHz, if you didn’t know, is actually being utilized already by broadcasting companies and for monitoring electric grids but it is yet to be distributed for public use. However, this could all change on April 23rd when the FCC will vote on whether your home and business Wi-Fi devices can access it.

If this vote does get passed, you will most certainly reap the speed benefits. You could see speeds of up to twice as fast, making the jump 5 GHz just can’t compete with. While this has had some pushback from the industries currently using the band, members of the Wi-Fi Alliance have been keen to implement this for some time now, implying it is necessary to keep up with surging demand. Chuck Lukaszewski, Vice President of Wireless Standards and Strategy for Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company states:

“Wi-Fi has become the most important wireless technology for American consumers and businesses and is projected to contribute almost $1 trillion in economic value to the United States by 2023. As the application and overall demand for Wi-Fi continue to surge, access to the 6 GHz unlicensed spectrum will enable Wi-Fi to continue delivering the vast innovations and socioeconomic benefits it is bringing to the market today while helping to ensure Wi-Fi can meet the new promises of the 5G era and beyond.”

This has been similarly mirrored by Jayanthi Srinivasan, Director of Product Management, Cisco Meraki, who goes one further, implying that with the introduction of AR and VR, it’s a necessity:

“Wi-Fi has changed the world, and we are excited to work with the Wi-Fi Alliance to ensure Wi-Fi will continue changing the world. Wi-Fi 6’s growth into the 6 GHz spectrum is a game-changer for two reasons – the availability of the additional channels and the ability to finally use 160Mhz for high bandwidth applications like AR and VR; this provides enormous opportunities to build new applications and experiences for both consumers and businesses. By standardizing on Wi-Fi 6E, Cisco Meraki and others in the industry can begin delivering next-generation wireless experiences to customers.”

Back in January when times were much simpler, the Wi-Fi Alliance as a whole announced that if the new ruling gets approved, the simply branded WiFi 6E devices could be released by the end of the calendar year. A welcomed advancement for those craving faster wireless speeds. However, with the majority of the world on lockdown, this could be a pipe dream.

Are you looking forward to this whole new Wi-Fi band? Will you be purchasing one of these WiFi 6E enabled devices? or do the good old 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels do the job for you?