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Is 6 GHz Wi-Fi’s 5G?
Unlicensed devices will soon be able to operate in the 6 GHz band. What does this really mean? Spectrum for everyone! Well, almost. Today, April 23, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the draft rules submitted by Chairman Ajit Pai that would allocate 1,200 MHz of spectrum available in the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use.
Currently, there are incumbent licensed services operating in that band, and now, with the FCC approval, unlicensed devices would share this spectrum. Part of those rules will protect those already existing licensed services so all networks can operate harmoniously.
There are roughly 4.78 billion mobile devices globally (the equivalent of 62% of the world’s population) currently on carrier networks, and as the number is projected to increase, it will be critical to continue to offload global mobile data traffic to Wi-Fi networks. By the year 2022, Cisco projects that nearly 60% of all global cellular traffic will be offloaded to Wi-Fi.
Making the entire 6 GHz band available is a huge step towards being able to accommodate the increasing capacity on networks. To quote Chairman Pai, “From Wi-Fi routers to home appliances, Americans’ everyday use of devices that connect to the Internet over unlicensed spectrum has exploded. That trend will only continue.” We need to be ready to accommodate it.
A Breakdown of 6 GHz Channel Allocation
The increased available spectrum makes it more important than ever to have a well-planned and properly designed wireless network. According to the approved rules, indoor low-power devices will be permitted to operate across the 6 GHz band. These include devices that require faster data throughput such as those that enable high-definition video streaming and high-performance, wearable, augmented-reality and virtual-reality experiences. The breakdown of neighboring spectrum blocks in 6 GHz is as follows:
- 59 additional 20 MHz channels
- 29 additional 40 MHz channels
- 14 additional 80 MHz channels
- 7 additional 160 MHz channels
Keith R. Parsons, Managing Director at WLAN Pros, provided the below information to compare the spectrum allocation across Wi-Fi frequencies
How will 6 GHz impact wireless design?
Cell Size and Density of APs
Higher frequencies, such as 5 GHz and 6 GHz, produce a shorter wavelength. This means they travel a shorter distance than the longer wavelengths of lower frequencies (from our days in college physics – wavelength and frequency are inversely related, if one is higher, then the other is shorter). Shorter distances for the higher frequencies create smaller cell sizes. So how will this impact your network? Smaller cell sizes and transmit power limitations will increase the density of APs in your design. One of the most important components of network planning (and costliest if done incorrectly) is determining the right number of APs and where to put them. Incorrect placement or the incorrect number of APs can create major problems for your network, negatively impacting signal strength and channel interference, as well as causing roaming issues. This results in costly network outages, downtime, or loss of productivity. If you are designing a multi-band network, you will have to pay close attention to the number of APs and make sure you are not buying excessive hardware.