After introduction of several Wi-Fi 7-supported devices and chips, Wi-Fi Alliance has officially launched Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 program approving end-user devices such as smartphones. With this, ‘Wi-Fi 7 ready’ devices will now be able to officially support the new standard.
There are several use cases such as multi-user AR/VR/XR, immersive 3-D training, electronic gaming, hybrid work, industrial IoT, and automotive, said Wi-Fi Alliance.
Advanced Wi-Fi 7 features include:
- 320 MHz channels: available in countries that make the 6 GHz band available to
Wi-Fi, ultra-wide channels double today’s widest channel size to facilitate multigigabit device speeds and high throughput - Multi-Link Operation (MLO): allows devices to transmit and receive data simultaneously over multiple links for increased throughput, reduced latency, and improved reliability
- 4K QAM: achieves 20% higher transmission rates than 1024 QAM
- 512 Compressed block-ack: improves efficiency and reduces overhead
- Multiple RUs to a single STA: improves flexibility for spectrum resource scheduling to enhance spectrum efficiency
- Triggered Uplink Access: optimizes Wi-Fi 6 defined triggered uplink access to accommodate latency sensitive streams and satisfy QoS requirements
- Emergency Preparedness Communication Services (EPCS): provides a seamless National Security & Emergency Preparedness (NSEP) service experience to users while maintaining the priority and quality of service in Wi-Fi access networks
Supported devices
MediaTek Dimensity 9200, 9300, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 and more chips are Wi-Fi 7-ready.
Smartphones, PCs, tablets, and access points (APs) will be the earliest adopters of Wi-Fi 7, and customer premises equipment (CPE) and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) equipment will continue to gain early market traction.
Companies including Broadcom, CommScope RUCKUS Networks, Intel, MaxLinear, MediaTek, and Qualcomm form the test bed for certification and are among the first Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 devices.
Commenting on this, Kevin Robinson, president and CEO, Wi-Fi Alliance, said:
The introduction of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 marks the emergence of the latest generation of Wi-Fi and will be an accelerant to mass adoption of Wi-Fi 7. This certification underscores our relentless commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology that redefines the way users experience Wi-Fi, providing faster speeds, improved efficiency, and increased reliability which expand the horizons of what is possible through Wi-Fi.