HFU HF Underground
General Category => General Radio Discussion => Topic started by: Fansome on April 28, 2020, 2004 UTC
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FCC Widens Wi-Fi Airwaves Access
Bloomberg
Todd Shields
April 23, 2020
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 5-0 to allow phones, tablets, wearables, other consumer electronics, and industrial sensors for manufacturing to use the airwaves band known as 6 gigahertz. Wi-Fi already carries the bulk of mobile-phone traffic, and Wi-Fi Alliance president Edgar Figueroa predicts frequencies available to Wi-Fi will jump six-fold with the newly available airwaves. Figueroa said devices using the 6-GHz frequency band could come to market this year, with 300 million or more to be produced next year. Concerns have been raised by utilities already using the 6 GHz airwaves to manage grids and pipelines, but the FCC indicated that low-power routers can operate indoors without encumbrance. Advocacy group WifiForward said the FCC decision “will make it easier for people to stay productive and informed" and will “supercharge” innovation.