Wi-Fi 6E is the designation for spectrum expansion into the 6-GHz radio-frequency band under the Wi-Fi 6/6E standard. This expansion is the biggest change in available spectrum for Wi-Fi since its inception. It creates new opportunities for use cases in high-performance connectivity.
Unlike Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E is not a standard. It is an extension of the Wi-Fi 6 standard into the 6-GHz spectrum that brings faster speeds, lower latency, and more security to the network.
Wi-Fi 6E will enable more innovative use cases, such as the following:
In April 2020, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission announced the opening of the 6-GHz band for Wi-Fi. The move allowed for 1200 MHz of spectrum, more than doubling the available Wi-Fi spectrum in the United States.
With the newly available spectrum, a key advantage is that no breaks or gaps exist in the frequency range for the entire 6-GHz band. This translates into much faster speeds.
The opening of the 6-GHz band means more channels to choose from. Currently, six 80-MHz channels exist in the United States and five in Europe. Zero 160-MHz channels exist. Once Wi-Fi 6E is available worldwide, there will be fourteen 80-MHz channels and seven 160-MHz channels.