Although Wi-Fi 6 has not yet been adopted as the main wireless connectivity standard in much of the world —much less Wi-Fi 6E, of course—, the constant evolution of technology does not stop the search for advances that improve what it already exists. It is for this reason that Wi-Fi 7 is already becoming a topic of conversation among telecommunications enthusiasts. Although its launch is still “far away”, we already know some key details.
The first thing you should know is that Wi-Fi 7, which is the trade name for 802.11be, is still under development at the Wi-Fi Alliance, the non-profit organization which manages the standard. The initial draft of the new technology was published in May 2021, and establishes the technical part that is required to improve the proposal that is already available today. At this point it is important to tell you that Wi-Fi 7 is based on 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6).
Now, are you really expecting improvements over the predecessor? Yes, they are very significant and, above all, timely. The objective of the Wi-Fi Alliance is that the new standard arrives to cover the needs generated by the emergence —or massification— of other technologies. For example, playing videos in uncompressed 4K and 8K resolution, which requires transferring large files. Also the virtual reality wireless and the Cloud Gaming, whose performance depends largely on the user's connection.
Thus, the body has its focus on making a leap in all the sections that interest the consumer, starting with speed. The agency's goal is to reach a data transmission speed of at least 30 GBps. Putting it in context, Wi-Fi 6 reaches 9.6 Gbps, so the advance is considerable. Of course, the figures of Wi-Fi 7 are merely theoretical and may vary in an environment of real use.
Another topic that Wi-Fi 7 will pay special attention to is reducing latency while streaming videos in the resolutions mentioned above. Likewise in video games, since latency is a key factor for online games. In this sense, the MLO (multi-link operation) technology will debut, with which it will be possible to use multiple bands simultaneously to transmit the same information, thus reducing latency. And speaking of bands, Wi-Fi 7 will go back to 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands.
When Wi-Fi 7 is coming?
If development goes according to plan, Wi-Fi 7 will hit its road during 2024. However, at MediaTek, where tests of the standard have already begun, they are more optimistic. They believe that the first compatible devices will be available from 2023.
MediaTek points out that they recently showed some demonstrations of Wi-Fi 7, in which the MLO technology was already involved. Based on their testing and commercial ambitions—they are chipmakers—they believe the standard will be able to power networks in the home, office, and industry. Also virtual reality experiences, streaming video games (Cloud Gaming) and video calls in 4K and 8K resolution.
“Wi-Fi 7's advances in channel width, QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation), and new features like multi-link operation (MLO) will make Wi-Fi 7 very attractive to devices. Including phones.” high-end smart phones, computers and consumer equipment. Also in industries, such as retailers,” the company said in a statement collected by Ars Technica.
