For the first time, MediaTek has announced that it will demonstrate a full ecosystem of production-ready devices featuring the next generation of wireless connectivity at CES 2023. Wi-Fi 7 employs a record-breaking 320 MHz channel bandwidth as well as 4096-QAM modulation.
According to MediaTek, Wi-Fi 7 technology will enable a wide range of devices, including residential gateways, mesh routers, TVs, streaming devices, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and others, to stay connected and reliable at all times.
The latest Wi-Fi 7 also includes a one-of-a-kind Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which allows the Wi-Fi connection to aggregate channel speeds and avoid link interruption in congested environments for time-sensitive applications.
This week’s devices at the event make use of MediaTek’s newest Filogic chips, which combine Wi-Fi 7 access point technology for broadband operators, retail router channels, and enterprise markets. In addition, the Filogic 380 chipset was used to bring Wi-Fi 7 connectivity to all client devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, TVs, and streaming devices.
Using a 6nm process, MediaTek’s Wi-Fi 7 solution provides a 50% reduction in main power consumption, a 25x reduction in CPU utilisation, and a 100x reduction in MLO switch latency in comparison to competing options.
Regarding the matter, Alan Hsu, corporate vice president and general manager of the Intelligent Connectivity Business unit at MediaTek said,
“Last year, we gave the world’s first Wi-Fi 7 technology demonstration, and we are honored to now show the significant progress we have made in building a more complete ecosystem of products. This lineup of devices, many of which are powered by the CES 2023 Innovation Award-winning Filogic 880 flagship chipset, illustrates our commitment to providing the best wireless connectivity.”
MediaTek tests 6GHz spectrum with Wi-Fi 7 and 6E chips:
In addition to the introduction of consumer-ready Wi-Fi 7 products, MediaTek also announces that it has successfully completed interoperability testing for Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) on MediaTek Filogic Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 6E chips.
This was done in collaboration with Federated Wireless, a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) organisation to operate an AFC system, which manages access to spectrum by standard-power indoor and outdoor unlicensed devices in the 6 GHz band.
Over 850 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band can be used for transmission by using an AFC system, which allows unlicensed devices like 5G CPEs, fibre gateways, and ethernet gateways to operate using standard power while still transmitting data.
As the use of Wi-Fi 7 technology becomes more widespread, having Wi-Fi products with increased range, faster connectivity speeds, and higher capacity will be a huge boon.
Now that the compatibility tests with MediaTek Filogic Wi-Fi 7 and 6E chips have been completed, customers can begin using Federated Wireless’ AFC system. According to MediaTek, once the FCC grants final approval, customers will be able to begin launching standard-power indoor and outdoor device operations via an AFC system.
Regarding the testing process, Alan Hsu, corporate vice president of Connectivity at MediaTek, said,
Our leadership in Wi-Fi technology would not be complete without ensuring our customers have easy access to AFC solutions. We are very happy to partner with Federated Wireless and to have finished an extensive series of integration testing. Our Filogic Wi-Fi 7 and 6E chips, including the CES 2023 Innovation Award-winning Filogic 880, will soon support Standard Power operation in the 6GHz spectrum for companies producing Wi-Fi devices.