Wi-Fi Alliance welcomed the Federal Communications Commission's unanimous approval of the Fourth Report and Order and Third Further Notice, which expands unlicensed operations in the 6 GHz band. The decision authorizes higher-power unlicensed operations while protecting incumbent users through tools such as geofencing systems.
Kevin Robinson, President and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance, said the action unlocks the next phase of Wi-Fi innovation, enabling better, faster Wi-Fi and supporting new wireless devices including AR/VR, IoT, and immersive technologies. The organization looks forward to working with the FCC and stakeholders to implement the rules for consumer, enterprise, and economic benefits.
Separately, Wi-Fi Alliance released a new certification extending Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 to client devices that operate only on 20 MHz channels. This applies to products such as sensors, wearables, industrial endpoints, and low-power clients in smart homes, industrial environments, and healthcare settings, promoting Wi-Fi 7 adoption in the IoT market.
Historically, newer Wi-Fi generations prioritized wider channels for performance, limiting IoT devices. The certification allows 20 MHz-only devices to use Wi-Fi 7 features including:
- Multi-Link Operation (MLO): Enables simultaneous connectivity on multiple links to avoid congestion, improve throughput, lower latency, support one-shot association, and enable seamless switching in dense environments.
- Downlink and Uplink (DL/UL) MU-MIMO: Allows multiple devices to transmit upstream simultaneously without waiting, providing spatial separation in dense IoT deployments.
- Multiple Resource Units (Multi-RUs): Combines non-contiguous sub-channels to maximize spectrum use and improve coverage in interference-prone or dead-spot areas, suitable for home appliances like air purifiers, hair dryers, and smart locks.
Benefits for 20 MHz-only devices include lower power consumption due to reduced processing and radio complexity for longer battery life; smaller, simpler designs with lower RF complexity for compact or low-cost sensors, appliances, and wearables; more reliable connections in crowded environments like apartments, factories, and enterprises by reducing interference; and better coverage through concentrated signal energy for robust links at coverage edges, ideal for distributed sensors.
Kevin Robinson stated that extending Wi-Fi 7 to 20 MHz-only devices unlocks improved performance, efficiency, and reliability for IoT, enhancing deterministic behavior, scheduling, and robustness in dense environments for overall network quality upgrades and IoT innovation.
Wi-Fi 7 provides high-performance and deterministic connectivity across IoT, with 20 MHz-only devices enabling selective advanced features without resource strain as connectivity grows in homes and enterprises.
Industry support includes statements from:
- Tobin Richardson, President and CEO, Connectivity Standards Alliance: Applauded the update for expanding smart home and IoT device benefits, aiding Matter adoption and new use cases.
- Sivaram Trikutam, Senior Vice President of Wireless Products, Infineon Technologies: Noted it unlocks IoT innovation and drives Wi-Fi 7 adoption.
- Dan Herscovici, CEO, Plume: Highlighted advancement in Wi-Fi 7 adoption among smart home makers and consumers.
- Irvind Ghai, Vice President, Silicon Labs: Described it as opening new capabilities for IoT customers as devices push intelligence to the edge.
- Venkat Kodavati, Senior Vice President & GM, Wireless Connectivity, Synaptics: Valued the extension for power-efficient IoT devices.
- Marian Kost, Vice President and General Manager of Connectivity, Texas Instruments: Emphasized expanding affordable Wi-Fi in IoT, maximizing spectrum utilization for simpler, scalable, secure connections.
