This editorial appears in the July 2023 edition (Issue 9) of the Wi-Fi Alliance®  Wi-Fi 6E Insights newsletter, a quarterly newsletter sharing updates on regulatory developments in the growing Wi-Fi 6E ecosystem. To subscribe to the newsletter, please sign up here. 

Welcome to the latest edition of the Wi-Fi 6E Insights newsletter. Wi-Fi 6E refers to Wi-Fi 6 services in the 5925-7125 MHz (the 6 GHz) frequency band. Written for policymakers and regulators in the EMEA region, this newsletter covers regulatory developments relating to Wi-Fi 6E and the views of key stakeholders.  

By the end of 2023, there will be an extraordinary 19.5 billion Wi-Fi® devices in use, according to the latest estimates from IDC, reflecting the enormous global demand for this cost-effective and versatile technology. The research firm anticipates that 473 million Wi-Fi 6E devices will ship in 2023, underlining the growing need to make the 6 GHz spectrum band available to further boost performance and reduce congestion. 

To that end, more and more governments are making part, or all, of the 6 GHz band license-exempt. Access to this spectrum enables Wi-Fi to deliver a significant change in capacity, while also opening up the wide channels that consumers and companies need to take full advantage of Wi-Fi 6E and the forthcoming Wi-Fi 7. This is particularly true where regulators make the entire 5925-7125 MHz frequency band (“6 GHz band”) license-exempt.  Importantly, the 6 GHz frequency band is the only spectrum to support the high data throughput and low latency capabilities of Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 and future generations of Wi-Fi.  It will not be possible for Wi-Fi to deliver optimal performance without access to the entire 6 GHz band, and there is no alternative spectrum. 

This fact is being recognized by governments across the world.  Argentina and El Salvador are the latest countries to allow Wi-Fi operations in the entire 6 GHz band. Indeed, in preparations for the imminent World Radiocommunications Conference 2023 (WRC-23), the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) highlighted the importance of harmonizing unlicensed use of the 6425-7125 MHz band to create economies of scope and scale and produce a robust equipment market, benefitting consumers and national economies worldwide. 

After a meeting in Mexico City in May, CITEL published a proposal to support “No Change” to the Radio Regulations for the 6425-7125 MHz band at WRC-23. As CITEL notes, the existing mobile service allocation gives administrations the flexibility to harness the spectrum in a way that best meets the needs of their market. (See the special feature for an interview with Paul Deedman, Director, Spectrum Regulation at Viasat for more on preparations for WRC-23). As the vast majority of internet traffic is indoors, many governments around the world are coming to the conclusion that Wi-Fi and other unlicensed technologies require more access to the 6 GHz band than International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT). 

In Asia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand have all recently decided to make at least part of the 6 GHz band license-exempt. Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority noted that the allocation is timely and meets the increasing demand for bandwidth-intensive and low latency use cases and also enables a seamless experience as end users transition between the different connectivity options in Singapore. Meanwhile in Africa, South Africa and Namibia are the latest countries to implement the African Telecommunications Union’s recommendation to make the lower 6 GHz band license-exempt. As explained in our special feature, there isn’t yet a consensus in Africa, the Middle East, or Europe on how best to use the upper 6 GHz band. 

In the U.S., which opened the entire 6 GHz band for license-exempt access back in April of 2020, mobile operators have more than enough capacity in the C band (in the 3 GHz range) to meet the demand for 5G, even from customers using the technology as their primary broadband link. Verizon, for example, now has almost two million fixed wireless access connections, which it is serving with 5G in the 3 GHz band. On a recent earnings call with analysts, Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon Communications, said: “I feel really confident that we will manage this capacity without any problems.” 

Whether they use a wireless broadband connection or a broadband connection, almost every household and business will rely on Wi-Fi to extend that connectivity across their property. 5G and fiber links can offer high throughput speeds, and Wi-Fi connections must also be robust and capable. With access to the entire 6 GHz band, Wi-Fi 6E can fully leverage the performance of gigabit connectivity, such as that offered by fiber-to-the-building (FTTB) networks. 

Crucially, Wi-Fi offers a cost-effective and energy-efficient (see the new research from WIK Consult) solution to provide wireless broadband connectivity, a key consideration in a time of high inflation. 75% of the respondents in the European Commission’s recent Eurobarometer survey (which surveys 1,000 people in each EU country) said that more affordable high speed internet connection would significantly facilitate their use of digital technologies, and 41% think an affordable high speed internet connection would do so to a very significant extent. From these results, we can conclude that affordability will be a key factor in determining whether Europe achieves its digital objectives. 

It is not surprising then that industry analysts expect demand for Wi-Fi 6E to continue to grow rapidly. As Phil Solis, Research Director at IDC, said: “The 6 GHz band will be critical for supporting the future of Wi-Fi…it allows for performance, capacity, and reliability that 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz cannot provide.” 

This Special Feature Interview appeared in the July 2023 edition (Issue 9) of the Wi-Fi Alliance^® Wi-Fi 6E Insights newsletter To subscribe to the newsletter, please sign up here.

Paul Deedman, Director, Spectrum Regulation at Viasat, a leading satellite company that has just acquired Inmarsat, explains the importance of the upper 6 GHz band in his sector.

1.         What’s at stake for the satellite sector at WRC-23?

The potential identification of the upper 6 GHz band for IMT (in ITU Region 1) has some very significant implications … if the ITU sends a message to administrations and industry that the 6 GHz band is suitable for deployment of IMT, that means we have to expect IMT systems to be deployed. That could lead to very significant interference with satellite receivers, which operate throughout the globe in this frequency band.

It is a band that we sometimes refer to as the extended C band. For the Inmarsat network, that’s where we operate our feeder links for our MSS network. We need to be able to operate without interference to be able to provide our maritime, aeronautical, and land MSS services, which are used throughout the globe for safety applications, in particular.

For the satellite industry more generally, the band is used by a variety of satellite applications from VSATS to large gateway applications. It tends to be used for telecommands applications, for control of the satellite functionality, and for the feeder links for radionavigation signals.

Part of the extended C band includes the Appendix 30B allotments, which are there to guarantee to every administration that they have the rights to the geostationary satellite orbit. We think it's very important to protect those.

2.         What have you learnt from the studies into the potential coexistence of IMT services and satellite services in the 6 GHz band?

We have been working on those technical studies in the ITU for the last three years and a document has been produced that contains 20 different studies. There are some studies that show interference well above the protection criteria, and you’ve got other studies which predict interference below the criteria.

Why is there quite a big difference in the overall conclusions? The IMT community has made really over-optimistic assumptions, trying to downplay or underestimate the level of interference that would occur in practice … and with the way these processes work, there is very little opportunity to challenge and correct that. They just become a collection of studies and whether they're right or wrong, they are just treated in the same way. So, that makes it difficult for administrations to draw clear conclusions from the studies.

When you consider quite a low density of IMT deployment, covering very small urban and suburban areas only, even then we see that very significant interference will arise. We've seen in other frequency bands where IMT base stations have been deployed there has been interference to satellite receivers. So, we have first-hand experience … and there is no reason to believe it would be any different in the case of the upper 6 GHz band.

3.         Is it feasible to relocate satellite services to another band?

Even if it was possible, in practice, clearing the bands would take 20 years, maybe even longer because that is the typical life of a geostationary satellite. Inmarsat launched two geostationary satellites in the last couple of years, both of those operating in the extended C band, and we expect them to operate for at least 15 years … typically, they operate longer.

We use the C band because it's very reliable … and that's really important when providing safety services. It might not be possible to provide that same reliability in different frequency bands. And access to other frequency bands cannot be assured, because all commercial satellite frequency bands are congested. Any system moving to a new frequency band would need to coordinate, not just one location, but would need to coordinate multiple locations for a global constellation. That’s a difficult challenge to achieve.

Regarding Wi-Fi, the CEPT framework has developed power limits for low power indoor and very low power outdoor devices, which means it is possible to have Wi-Fi use in the upper 6 GHz band that is compatible with satellite use.

4.         Where do EMEA administrations stand?

We can see quite a spread of different views … there are some who are definitely supporting no change to the Radio Regulations, that think this band is not suitable for IMT. There are some which are supporting IMT, but are also supporting the application of technical constraints on IMT. And then you have got some who are supporting IMT with no constraints at all. And of course, that is the most worrying situation from our perspective.

5.         What would an IMT identification in Region 1 mean for Region 2 and Region 3?

Focusing on our use of the 6 GHz band, over time our satellites could suffer interference, so it would impact on the services that we provide in ITU Region 1 countries (EMEA), and quite a number of Region 3 countries (Asia), because a satellite doesn't just cover one region. That’s why we think Region 2 (the Americas) and Region 3 countries should also actively support no change for this agenda item.

6.         Does IMT need more spectrum?

No, we are completely certain that this band is not necessary and that there are other solutions available. It's clear that there are ever-increasing demands for terrestrial mobile … But it's also clear that there are other solutions that can be adopted by the mobile industry, particularly the millimeter wave bands that were put in place at WRC-19 for effectively the same purpose – to provide high density local area capacity. Cell densification can also be applied using existing bands, by placing more small cells in the hotspot areas. That is a more efficient way to meet the capacity demands that doesn't require any incumbent spectrum users to be displaced.

The future of the upper 6 GHz band is a combination of the incumbent satellite use and ongoing satellite use, shared with Wi-Fi. That’s a very efficient use of the radio spectrum. It is a solution that meets the demands that administrations have for broadband connectivity.

Digital services generate enormous socioeconomic benefits, but they also consume energy.  Using the most efficient connectivity technology available is a crucial way to keep that energy consumption in check and help curb climate change.

The vast majority of connectivity occurs indoors where a combination of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and Wi-Fi® is both the most cost-effective and sustainable solution. In fact, FTTH networks are 2.5x more energy efficient per megabyte transmitted than 5G, according to a new study by WIK-Consult for Wi-Fi Alliance®. 5G services must penetrate building walls, expending high levels of power. Connecting an indoor 5G device to an outdoor base station will use a disproportionate amount of energy and also result in shorter recharge cycles, increased battery wear, and additional electronic waste.

It is vital that adequate spectrum is made available for Wi-Fi, and it is especially important that the entire 6 GHz band is available for use by Wi-Fi. While countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and the U.S. have enabled Wi-Fi access to the entire 6 GHz band, the EU has opened less than half of the band for Wi-Fi – an insufficient amount of spectrum to meet the demand for high quality broadband connectivity in the home.

If Europe doesn’t make the upper portion of the 6 GHz band (the 6425-7125 MHz) license-exempt, WIK-Consult calculates that 15% of traffic in the region would transfer from fixed to mobile networks. The study estimates that would result in 16% higher energy consumption, which would lead to 3.2 megatons of additional CO₂ emissions in Europe per year by 2030 – that’s equivalent to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s fossil CO₂ emissions in 2020.[1] The transfer of traffic to 5G would be driven by congestion on Wi-Fi networks, prompting many users to connect to mobile networks.

Realizing the potential of fiber networks depends on Wi-Fi

The European Digital Decade Programme has set a target that by 2030 all Europeans should have access to fixed gigabit connectivity up to the network termination point, meaning that nearly 100% of EU households are set to be served with a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connection.[2]  By then, European households are likely to be making extensive use of immersive cloud-based services, such as e-health, remote learning, high-definition video and gaming, and augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR). 

The EU’s prioritization of FTTH, despite the high installation cost, reflects the fact that most of these demanding services will be consumed indoors. But these FTTH networks will be constrained without sufficient spectrum for Wi-Fi. Most household devices can’t use mobile or cables to connect to the internet, so they depend on Wi-Fi to get online.

Research firm IDC estimates that by the end of 2023, there will be 19.5 billion Wi-Fi devices in use, reflecting the enormous global demand for this cost-effective and versatile technology. A growing proportion of these devices are equipped with Wi-Fi 6E – the advanced version of Wi-Fi that can access the 6 GHz band. IDC anticipates that 473 million Wi-Fi 6E devices will ship in 2023, underscoring the growing need to make the 6 GHz spectrum band available to further boost performance and reduce congestion.

Making the full 6 GHz band license-exempt will enable Europeans to take full advantage of the advanced capabilities of these Wi-Fi 6E devices. Furthermore, as the WIK-Consult study shows, greater use of Wi-Fi (rather than 5G) will help to reduce the environmental footprint of telecom networks and support Europe’s goal to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent.

Wi-Fi^® is holding strong as the preferred choice for wireless connectivity, and its upward momentum continues. According to a new report released by IDC Research, 3.8 billion Wi-Fi devices are forecast to ship in 2023 alone, contributing to 42 billion cumulative Wi-Fi shipments over the technology’s lifetime. This year will also see 19.5 billion Wi-Fi devices in use, including access points, smartphones, laptops, security cameras, and smart plugs. An increasing number of devices support the latest Wi-Fi generations and provide users, service providers, and network administrators with the ability to support increasingly complex use cases.^[1]

As more countries release 6 GHz unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi, users around the world are benefitting from the performance enhancements of Wi-Fi 6E operations in the band. With high gigabit speeds, extremely low latency, and increased capacity, the 6 GHz band offers numerous socioeconomic benefits, as well as the ability to support emerging applications, including 3D immersive medical training and telepresence, security monitoring, and fueling innovation in service provider networks that enable multi-gigabit speeds for customers. IDC predicts continued momentum for Wi-Fi 6E with 473 million Wi-Fi 6E devices expected to ship in 2023.  

Some additional data includes:

• More than 18% of all Wi-Fi 6 device shipments are predicted to be Wi-Fi 6E in 2023, growing to 32% in 2025
• Two-thirds of shipments in 2023 will be Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E, and these will continue to expand into more IoT devices as more Wi-Fi 6 chipsets targeting IoT devices enter the market
• 94.6 million Wi-Fi 6E AP devices will ship in 2023

According to a recent IDC press release, "There is all growth going forward layered with trends of more Wi-Fi 6 and 6E devices coming into play, Wi-Fi 7 chips ramping up in higher-end devices and access points, and more discrete Wi-Fi solutions in primary client devices and other product types,” said Phil Solis, Research Director, Connectivity and Smartphone Semiconductors at IDC.

Wi-Fi 7 momentum begins to build as we look toward the end of 2023 and approach Wi-Fi Alliance^® certification availability. While only accounting for .4% of Wi-Fi device shipments this year, Wi-Fi 7 will begin seeing broader technology adoption aligned with Wi-Fi Alliance certification availability, which typically serves as an inflection point in the industry. Wi-Fi 7 delivers advanced experiences using 2.4 and 5 GHz spectrum that is globally available today, and countries opening the full 6 GHz band to Wi-Fi will benefit from the maximum potential of Wi-Fi 7.

Wi-Fi and IoT momentum

The heightened user demand for IoT devices supports Wi-Fi's predicted upward momentum this year, according to IDC, and the availability of more Wi-Fi 6 chipsets created for IoT devices will enter the market to aid this growing demand. IDC reports that Wi-Fi IoT device shipments totaled 37% in 2022 and are predicted to exceed 40% by 2027.

The upward trajectory of IoT is further evidenced by those devices surpassing smartphone shipments in 2021, and IoT is also expected to outpace primary client device shipments in 2027. The release of additional unlicensed spectrum in 6 GHz spectrum around the world is crucial to support the steady uptake of Wi-Fi 6E devices expected in 2023 and the introduction of Wi-Fi 7. “As older protocols fade away and the Wi-Fi industry firmly embraces Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7, and beyond, the 6 GHz band will be critical for supporting the future of Wi-Fi,” said Phil Solis, Research Director at IDC “The 6 GHz band allows for performance, capacity, and reliability that 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz cannot provide.” Not only will 6 GHz provide the foundation for the high-performance connectivity users expect, it will also enable continued innovation for today’s Wi-Fi and future generations to come.

In today's episode, we're joined by Mark Grayson, Fellow at Cisco and Chair of the Wireless Broadband Alliance's OpenRoaming working group, to discuss the ins and outs of OpenRoaming. Mark tells us about how OpenRoaming accelerates Passpoint adoption to create a seamless experience for Wi-Fi users. We discuss how this solution could benefit IoT use cases, such as supporting patient transfers and monitoring, as well as the challenges of deployment at the enterprise level. Listen to learn more about this program and how Wi-Fi 6E supports this solution.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint®: https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/passpoint

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6®: https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-certified-6

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