The Wi-Fi 7 standard is ready, but how far is it from commercial use?

Wi-Fi 7, based on the IEEE 802.11be standard, has made significant improvements over the previous generation Wi-Fi 6/6E, with nearly four times the speed, support for more connections, and also includes improvements in reducing latency, increasing capacity, improving stability and efficiency. According to Intel's demonstration, ordinary PCs supporting Wi-Fi 7 can reach speeds of up to 5.8Gbps, more than twice that of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E. However, from a theoretical perspective, Wi-Fi 7 can reach speeds of up to 46Gbps, while the theoretical limit of Wi-Fi 6 is only 9.8Gbps.

A milestone technological advancement in the sixth generation of Wi-Fi is the introduction of a new frequency band, 6GHz (5.925GHz – 7.125GHz), which is named Wi-Fi 6E. With an additional 1200MHz spectrum available in the 6GHz band, Wi-Fi 6E devices will work in 14 additional 80MHz channels and 7 additional 160MHz channels, almost tripling the Wi-Fi spectrum usage. The wider spectrum enables Wi-Fi 6E devices to transmit data faster, reduce interference, and reduce network congestion.

Wi-Fi 7 builds on its predecessors, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, and in particular, the introduction of the 6GHz frequency band has significantly improved the throughput of Wi-Fi 7. So, what is the difference between Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 6E? Here are some notable upgrades.

Figure 2 (Source: Freepik)

With the Wi-Fi 6 standard, routers usually have only two frequency bands, 2.4GHz and 5GHz. In the field of wireless communications, spectrum is a scarce resource, and a wide bandwidth means a greater data throughput that can be transmitted, and a higher transmission rate and efficiency. According to the Wi-Fi Alliance's plan, 6GHz (UNII5-UNII8) opens 14 additional 80MHz channels, 7 additional 160MHz channels, and 3 320MHz channels. These additional channels do not overlap with each other, which greatly increases the available bandwidth of Wi-Fi.

Although 6GHz broadens the available spectrum for Wi-Fi, problems also arise.

• First, there are already many wireless, satellite and mobile operators in the 6GHz band. The current solution is: to protect the rights and interests of existing operators in the 6GHz band, unlicensed devices that exceed the power level specified by the Low Power Indoor (LPI) and any outdoor devices can only access the spectrum under the control of the Automatic Frequency Coordination (AFC) system to reduce interference with existing services.

• Second, under the tri-band architecture, each frequency band is easily interfered by other frequency bands during operation, especially when enterprises use 320MHz channels. When multiple Wi-Fi stations and access points (APs) operate in the same area on the same channel, co-channel interference (CCI) will occur.

Nonlinear front-end radio module (FEM) technology for Wi-Fi access points is key to properly implementing designs for tri-band Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7. The nonlinear approach effectively improves the efficiency of the power amplifier (PA) while reducing power consumption.

Figure 4 (Source: Freepik)

Wi-Fi 7 is a new technology built on previous generations of Wi-Fi, with corresponding devices and routers starting to roll out in early 2023, all with backward compatibility. Dozens of Wi-Fi 7 routers are already available on the market, including the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Acer Swift Edge laptops, and the TP Link BE800 and Amazon Eero Max 7 routers have all been tested and pre-certified.

However, as an early product of Wi-Fi 7, the current price of Wi-Fi 7 routers is not cheap. According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, 233 million Wi-Fi 7 devices will enter the market in 2024 and will grow to 2.1 billion by 2028.

According to analysis and forecasts by Globe News Wire, the global Wi-Fi 7 market is expected to achieve significant growth in the next few years, with a value of US$1 billion in 2023 and US$24.2 billion in 2030, which means a compound annual growth rate of 57.2% from 2023 to 2030.

This exponential growth can be mainly attributed to the contribution of various key players in the ecosystem towards a competitive and diversified market. In addition, government initiatives aimed at establishing smart cities will also play a key role in driving the adoption of Wi-Fi 7 technology.

In the Wi-Fi 7 ecosystem, the System on Chip (SoC) segment will account for a significant market share throughout the forecast period. As a key component of Wi-Fi 7, SoC is the core hardware of devices such as routers, gateways, modems, access points, smartphones, and laptops.

With the official launch of the Wi-Fi 7 standard, chip manufacturers have accelerated the pace of developing new chipsets. These SoCs must not only be cost-effective, interoperable, but also easy to integrate into various devices using Wi-Fi technology.

It usually takes 3 to 5 years from the approval of a new Wi-Fi standard to its entry into major global markets. Just look at Wi-Fi 6E: the first batch of 6GHz devices came out about three years ago, but we still can't say that most devices on the market today support 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E. Judging from the number of shipments, it may take another two years for Wi-Fi 6E to catch up with Wi-Fi 6.

As for whether to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 now, there is no need to worry about this issue, because considering the price alone, many people will temporarily give up Wi-Fi 7. After all, a $600 router is also a considerable expense. Therefore, experts expect that it will be good if Wi-Fi 7 shipments can catch up with Wi-Fi 6E in 2026 or 2027.

In addition, products using Wi-Fi 7 technology must comply with specific regulatory standards, which is a prerequisite for ensuring that the products enter the market safely and compliantly.

Typically, there is a time interval of about one or two years between certification testing and device popularization. It is expected that we may start to see mobile phones, laptops and other devices that support Wi-Fi 7 on the market by next year. This is one of the main reasons why Wi-Fi 7 cannot be fully commercialized in the short term.

Wi-Fi 7, also known as IEEE 802.11be, is the successor to the sixth generation of Wi-Fi and represents the next evolution of wireless networking technology. Wi-Fi 7 can reach speeds of up to 30Gbit/s, more than three times that of Wi-Fi 6, and this amazing speed is achieved through a combination of innovative technologies and improved standards. However, this does not mean that you need to immediately replace your router, mobile phone, laptop, and gaming device with Wi-Fi 7.

From a technical and market perspective, the application prospects of Wi-Fi 7 are undoubtedly huge and will have a profound impact in many fields. From more efficient video conferencing to immersive AR/VR experience, to smarter industrial Internet and higher-quality cloud gaming services, Wi-Fi 7 will bring more convenience and possibilities to human society. With the continuous advancement of technology and the continuous expansion of application scenarios, we believe that Wi-Fi 7 will become the cornerstone of the future digital society and drive mankind towards a smarter and more convenient future.