Though W-Fi 6E was a thing back in 2020, Indians will have to wait a little longer to get access to it. The Wi-Fi Alliance in the US, which is a group of platform vendors working with electronic manufacturers and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to set standards for the Wi-Fi technology, introduced Wi-Fi 6E in 2020 for devices that supported the 6GHZ wireless spectrum.

Earlier, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) were allowed to use only two Wi-Fi bands -- 2.4 GHz and the 5GHz. The 6GHz, or the Wi-Fi 6E, was introduced to reduce overcrowding of these bands.

Wi-Fi 6E enables faster speed and lower latencies than any iteration introduced before. Some smartphones and laptops are already leveraging the connectivity technology and the upcoming Apple iPhone 14 is also likely to have Wi-Fi 6E.

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How is 6E useful

Most households experience internet connectivity woes as their Wi-Fi connection promises high speeds but the router supports only a lower single band. Congestion in the network as a result of too many Wi-Fi-enabled devices linked to the same frequency hampers the overall experience.

Wi-Fi 6E, an extension of the Wi-Fi 6, provides a more reliable connection by adding 14 more 80MHz channels and seven 160GHz channels required for high-bandwidth applications for best performance.

The Wi-Fi 6E also gives the user an option to choose between 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz.

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What TRAI says

In the National Digital Communications Policy 2018, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) does not refer explicitly to delicensing spectrum in 6 GHz and V bands. However, it speaks of recognising the mid-band spectrum of 3 GHz to 43 GHz range.

One of the primary concerns of the government about delicensing spectrum is that it would hurt revenues.

Industry bodies representing mobile operators like the GSM Association and the Cellular Operators Association of India have advocated auctioning 6 GHz and V bands for use, the Financial Express reported. However, TRAI opposed the delicensing of more spectrum as the already delicensed 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands are underutilised.

Longer wait

One of the biggest problems of adoption in India is that the market does not have compatible routers for Wi-Fi 6E. Hence, Indians will have to wait a little longer to get access to the latest Wi-Fi 6E.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Dec 10, 2021 7:48 PM IST