The Federal Communications Commission said it authorised the first Wi-Fi device for use in the 6 GHz spectrum band following its decision to open up unlicensed frequencies earlier this year. In a brief statement, the FCC said the authorised device is a 6 GHz transmitter from Broadcom. The approval comes after the commission created a new range of 1,200 MHz (5.925–7.125 GHz) for Wi-Fi services in April, boosting the amount of spectrum available for Wi-Fi by nearly a factor of five.
Outgoing FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Wi-Fi 6 could be more than two-and-a-half times faster than the current standard, benefiting consumers and businesses alike. “During the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve all seen how Wi-Fi has enabled everything from work-at-home to telehealth to remote learning to streaming and gaming. Wi-Fi 6 will turbocharge each of these and more,” he said, adding that the new rules will also complement commercial 5G networks.
Broadcom announced the availability of a portfolio of Wi-Fi 6E devices back in January, including 8 enterprise 6 GHz Wi-Fi AP products. In March, the Wireless Broadband Alliance said it achieved speeds of 2Gbps and consistent 2-ms latency in tests conducted by Broadcom and Intel.
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