Ofcom Decision Makes the United Kingdom the Second Country to Release 6GHz Wi-Fi Band

Ofcom, the regulator that manages the United Kingdom’s spectrum, is aiding the increased momentum of 6GHz Wi-Fi as it has announced that it is freeing 500MHz of 6GHz band spectrum for indoor use (specifically 5925-6425MHz) without the need for a license, as well as allowing license-exempt Very Low Power (VLP) outdoor use, removing Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) requirements in the 5.8GHz band, and updating Wi-Fi router technical requirements to ease wireless network congestion. This will create better User Experiences (UX), as well as provide Ultra HD streaming, Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR) uses.

This announcement has enabled the United Kingdom to become the second country in the world to release the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi, after the United States’ Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s April 2020 announcement to also free up the 6GHz band for unlicensed use. While this 500MHz is less than what has been made available in the United States (1.2GHz to 5925-7125MHz), it still represents a large step forward for Wi-Fi, accommodating three new 160MHz channels or 24 new 20MHz channels and almost doubling the United Kingdom’s available Wi-Fi spectrum, DFS-free. This is expected to be implemented in 4Q 2020.

Brazil, Europe, and South Korea are expected to be the next to open up unlicensed 6GHz Wi-Fi bands in the near future, following the United States and United Kingdom’s lead. Brazil is expected to be one of the next countries to release the 6GHz band following support by regulator Anatel, Europe is reportedly on track to release 500MHz of 6GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi due to work by the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC), and South Korea is expected to be the first Asian country to release the 6GHz band following a proposed amendment release by the Ministry of Science and ICT in June. This represents great scalability and interest for 6GHz Wi-Fi across a wide range of regions.

This announcement from Ofcom shows that there is great interest in the push toward 6GHz Wi-Fi within the market, which will provide higher throughput, more capacity, greater reliability, lower latency, and improved quality of service, solving many of the challenges that Wi-Fi has previously been faced with. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) will not permit legacy non-Wi-Fi 6 devices to utilize the new spectrum, which would allow only new devices to have access to high-performance, low-latency connectivity.

Chipset provider Broadcom, which announced the first 6GHz Wi-Fi chip for mobile devices in February 2020, has announced that this new 6GHz band will help increase data rates for phones by up to five times, offering up to 1.4Gbps over a distance of 7 meters for use in homes, offices, and public venues. Chipset provider Intel has also noted that Wi-Fi 6E devices will also be able to leverage this new spectrum and extra capacity, providing improved network performance and support for an increased number of users in dense, congested areas. The company has also stated that this decision by Ofcom will likely make the United Kingdom the first European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) member to open up the 5925 to 6425MHz band for license-exempt operational Wi-Fi use, and has advised that it further open up the 6425 to 7125MHz band for Wi-Fi use, too.

The 6GHz band that will be leveraged has a higher frequency than other bands, which also leads it to have a weaker signal and therefore lower levels of coverage. However, the added spectrum provides more space for data, increasing speeds, and the lower coverage provides a more secure signal and lower congestion from other local Wi-Fi signals. The release of the band for VLP outdoor use also allows the United Kingdom to offer short-range personal wireless networks, using interconnected devices that will interact with the environment and other devices to provide immersive experiences.

The removal of DFS requirements will reduce the constraints on equipment manufacturers in terms of the Quality of Service (QoS) and throughput, as well as connection delays related to the requirement of a router to scan for radars, switching channels if needed. DFS can be removed as the level of interference for the indoor Wi-Fi use is extremely low.

There are a number of challenges facing 6GHz Wi-Fi that the market must overcome to ensure there is a smooth transition with improved UX. A major challenge facing the market is related to the regulations. Stakeholders within other areas of the communications industry are calling for more stringent requirements to protect these other technologies. There is also a call for more evidence that 6GHz Wi-Fi will not interfere with other essential services, with some opposing the sharing of the band. Market players and regulators need to work together to ensure that there is full visibility into how opening the spectrum will affect others.

Cost is also a major challenge for 6GHz Wi-Fi, as supporting the technology will lead to an increase in component, and therefore device, cost. More filtering will also be required to ensure 6GHz Wi-Fi does not interfere with 5GHz Wi-Fi, as the two bands are next to each other. This will also lead to an increased cost and is something that vendors will need to consider when looking into supporting the technology.

There may also be challenges related to regional variations, particularly as different areas will be adding support at different times and it is not clear how much spectrum will be available globally. Depending on how regional variations affect 6GHz Wi-Fi, this could lead to region-specific Stock-Keeping Units (SKUs), which often hinder scalability and add complexity.

Despite these challenges, this announcement has come at a useful time. While home broadband speeds have coped with the higher demand associated with increased home working and learning during the COVID-19 lockdown, the extra spectrum will ensure that the growing demand for wireless services will be met moving forward. Ofcom stated that internet users spent over four hours on average online in the United Kingdom every day in April 2020, 37 minutes more than they did in January. ABI Research expects that the number of Wi-Fi-enabled devices will continue to increase, with worldwide shipments growing from 3.1 billion in 2020 to 4.6 billion in 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8%.