Wi-Fi - 7 (IEEE 802.11be)
INTRODUCTION
With the advent of 5G (Fifth Generation of Mobile Communication), massive availability of data & the infinite connection is possible. Also, 6G testing started already (Link : https://forum.huawei.com/enterprise/en/world-s-first-6g-communications-test-satellite-successfully-by-china/thread/669221-100487 ) Data traffic is expected to be doubled every year. Now need to explore options beyond WiFi6 with a higher data rate and lower latency
Wi-Fi
Stock Image Source: praveen-kumar-mathivanan-yqLrqIsl294-unsplash
HOW TO HANDLE IT
Wi-Fi Off-Loading [Shifting users from the existing mobile network (3G/4G) to Wi-Fi networks, mobile operators can add more capacity in an affordable and flexible way ( Refer link for more details on this https://forum.huawei.com/enterprise/en/wi-fi-off-loading-in-5g-driven-era/thread/688871-869
Internet using on the go!
Stock Image Source: frederik-lipfert-cWtsPbJtIvs-unsplash
WiFi offloading is now becoming necessary for providing ubiquitous coverage, network reliability, and customer needs.
5G and WiFi 6 are now seamlessly working together for better communication requirements.
But Wi-Fi-6 will NOT be enough soon
Wi-Fi 6 is available in upcoming phones, laptops, and network equipment. But researchers have started working for the next generation of Wi-Fi that is Wi-Fi 7.
Wi-Fi 7 (or 802.11be) is also referred to as Wi-Fi EHT (Extremely High Throughput) as a result of its projected ability to support up to 30Gbps throughput, roughly three times faster than Wi-Fi 6.
Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7, the next generation of wireless technology, which is promising higher data rates & lower latency.
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), which develops the 802.11 standards that the Wi-Fi Alliance later certifies, is already at work on 802.11be (known as Wi-Fi – 7)
It will also use multi-band/multi-channel aggregation & operation and deliver higher spectrum and power efficiency, better interference mitigations, higher capacity density, and higher cost-efficiency.
PROPOSED FEATURES of W7
The main candidate features mentioned in the 802.11be Project Authorization Request (PAR) are:
· more efficient utilization of non-contiguous spectrum - 320 MHz bandwidth
· Multi-band/multi-channel aggregation and operation.
· 16 spatial streams and Multiple Input Multiple Output(MIMO) protocols enhancements,
· Multi-Access Point (AP) Coordination (e.g. coordinated and joint transmission),
· Enhanced link adaptation and retransmission protocol (e.g. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ)),
WiFi7 features
Image Source: ieeeexplorer
Apart from the features mentioned in the PAR, there are newly introduced features
· 4096-QAM (4K-QAM) introduced.
· Contiguous and non-contiguous 320/160+160 MHz and 240/160+80 MHz bandwidth,
· Frame formats with improved forward-compatibility,
· Enhanced resource allocation in ODFMA
· Multi-AP coordination
Benefits
802.11be is expected to define enhancements to the 802.11ax (WiFi 6) to enable better control of the worst-case latency and jitter, especially under managed network operation
Development of the 802.11be amendment is ongoing, with a goal of an initial draft by end of Q1 of 2021, and a final version expected by early 2024.
Time is near when speed on Wireless will be comparable with speed on wired Network!
For ensuring interoperability & security standards, the Wi-Fi Alliance will release its Wi-Fi 7 cert program soon.
ENDING REMARKS
802.11be will provide new capabilities to control latency and improve reliability, which can support time-sensitive applications in managed network scenarios.
The new band of 6-7 GHz will help to increase in the number of channels available (~ 1GHz of the new spectrum), which is key for managed deployments that require latency/reliability guarantees
REFERENCE:
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9090146
