Market share of Wi-Fi 6 and 6E will reach 58% this year, passing Wi-Fi 5, said TrendForce Wednesday. Wi-Fi 6E, which supports 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and can also operate in the 6 GHz band, is designed to reduce network congestion and interference through more numerous, wider and non-overlapping channels, said the research firm. More automotive, IoT and AR/VR tech is expected to enter the consumer market this year, creating additional demand for high-quality Wi-Fi, while smart home and smart lighting are among the fastest growing consumer segments, it said. Shipments of Wi-Fi-based smart home gear are forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 18% from 2021 to 2026, driving applications including AR/VR, cloud gaming, 4K videoconferencing and 8K streaming media, it said. By 2025, the share of smartphones supporting Wi-Fi 6 and 6E is estimated to exceed 80%.

NCTA representatives urged the FCC to wrap up a 2020 Further NPRM on proposed changes to rules for the 6 GHz band (see 2204080042), increasing the power limit for low-power indoor (LPI) access points (APs), in a virtual meeting with staff from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology and Office of the General Counsel. “The Commission can quickly deliver expanded benefits to consumers because many 6 GHz LPI APs that are already being deployed will be tunable to that higher power level,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295: “A power limit of 8 dBm/MHz [power spectral density] for LPI APs will significantly increase the value and benefits of 6 GHz Wi-Fi for U.S. consumers and businesses without increasing the risk of harmful interference to incumbent users in the band.”

Almost two years after FCC commissioners approved a Further NPRM allowing more widespread use of the 6 GHz band, the agency hasn’t finalized the rules. To some industry experts, the delay has been a surprise. The agency appeared close to acting at the end of the Trump administration (see 2012180057). Later speculation was that an order would have to wait for a ruling on a challenge to the broader order before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (see 2104160053).

NCTA and CableLabs urged the FCC to follow up on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s December decision upholding the FCC’s 6 GHz order (2112280047) by finalizing rules proposed two years ago on higher power use of the band by devices operating indoors (see 2004230059). By acting on the 6 GHz Further NPRM, “the Commission can quickly deliver expanded benefits to consumers because many 6 GHz” access points “that are already being deployed will be tunable to that higher power level,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 17-183. The groups made their case in a call with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

Representatives of the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition discussed changing the rules for the band so it can be used for 5G, in meetings with aides to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. The coalition “explained that its efforts to encourage the Commission to open up the 12.2-12.7 GHz band for two-way terrestrial, 5G mobile service, and opportunistic use continues to gain support from a wide array of policy thought leaders, public interest groups, and service providers,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 20-443. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s December decision upholding the FCC’s 6 GHz order (2112280047) “reaffirmed the Commission’s authority as primary spectrum regulators and leading experts to assess interference and rejected arguments that spectrum sharing should be prohibited unless zero interference is found,” the coalition said.

Tech companies said it's important that the U.S. advocate no change to 6425-7125 MHz in ITU radio regulations, as recommended by the FCC’s World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee (see 2202150030), at next year’s WRC. “We discussed the Commission’s efforts towards global harmonization of unlicensed use of 6 GHz,” said filing posted Wednesday in docket 16-185: “We highlighted the economic and technological importance of unlicensed use in the full band, particularly for continued development of Wi-Fi 7 equipment. As the world leader in Wi-Fi and other unlicensed technologies, the U.S. is a global leader in unlicensed innovation, with U.S. firms holding significant W-Fi 6E patents, and U.S. consumers and enterprises relying heavily on the hundreds of millions of access points and hotspots around the world, along with billions of client devices." Representatives of Cisco, Meta Platforms and Microsoft were among those on a call with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

The FAA “lost a lot of credibility” in how it handled the C band, seeking to stop deployment on the eve of when buildout was supposed to start (see 2201040070), said Harris Wiltshire’s Tricia Paoletta during a Federalist Society spectrum webinar Tuesday. “This was a huge debacle” and embarrassment for everyone involved, she said. Paoletta warned “another nightmare” could be in the offing.

NAB asked the FCC to set aside 55 MHz in the 6 GHz band for licensed use, including electronic newsgathering, in a filing posted Friday in docket 17-183. NAB said it previously asked for 80 MHz but is dialing down that request. “Just 55 MHz would have the benefit of harmonizing the use of the band internationally” and provide two 25 MHz channels for electronic newsgathering, plus a 5 MHz guard band. The set aside would be at the top of the band -- 7070-7125 MHz. “Journalism, including live coverage of events as they unfold, has never been more important,” broadcasters said: “Access to spectrum is an indispensable component of broadcasters’ ability to provide high-quality and real-time coverage of history as it unfolds.” The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld an FCC order allowing unlicensed use of the band but asked the FCC for further explanation on a narrow issue raised by NAB (see 2112280047).

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology is seeking comment on the one part of the agency’s 2020 6 GHz order on which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit asked the FCC for further explanation. The court otherwise upheld the order, which opened the band for sharing with Wi-Fi (see 2112280047). “We seek comment on NAB’s arguments in the Commission’s proceeding regarding broadcasters’ experience in the 2.4 GHz band, how that experience relates to the kinds of contention-based protocol operations prescribed for indoor use in the 6 GHz rules, and whether the 2.4 GHz experience warrants reservation of a portion of the 6 GHz band for mobile indoor operations or any other modification to the Commission’s 6 GHz rules,” said a notice in Friday’s Daily Digest. OET stressed “in light of the limited scope of the court’s remand, we do not seek comment on any other aspects of the 6 GHz Report and Order.” Comment dates will be in a Federal Register notice.

The FCC Wireless and Public Safety bureaus reminded incumbent fixed microwave operators in the 6 GHz band they must maintain accurate information in the FCC’s Universal Licensing System. Automated frequency coordination systems that will be used to promote sharing with unlicensed users depend on an accurate database, the bureaus said Tuesday. “Licensees should confirm that their ULS records reflect actual operations to ensure that incumbent fixed microwave licensees are protected from harmful interference from both new unlicensed 6 GHz standard power access points and new fixed microwave links that may access the band,” they said.