The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in Singapore has announced plans to allocate additional radio frequency spectrum to enhance Wi-Fi connectivity in the country. Specifically, IMDA will allocate 500 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi use in Singapore. This allocation will support the latest Wi-Fi 6E technology that can provide faster theoretical maximum speeds of up to 9.6 Gbps, which is double the current maximum speeds of up to 4.8 Gbps.
The lower segment of the 6 GHz band (5,925 – 6,425 MHz) has been globally identified as suitable for Wi-Fi use and provides an additional 500 MHz of contiguous spectrum. With the allocation of this additional spectrum, Singapore can meet the increasing demand for bandwidth-intensive and low latency use cases, such as the deployment of interconnected devices, robots with autonomous mobility, and augmented or virtual reality with immersive online experiences involving multiple parties.
Moreover, the wider 160-MHz channels that Wi-Fi 6E technology provides can ease the increasing contention over Wi-Fi and maintain good user experience as these data-intensive applications become more pervasive. Additionally, Wi-Fi technology needs to keep in tandem with the Nationwide Broadband Network (NBN) developments as Wi-Fi is typically the key connectivity medium that takes over from fibre broadband to provide in-unit or in-building wireless connectivity for end-user devices in homes and offices.
IMDA expects the enhanced Wi-Fi connectivity to facilitate greater digital innovation and bring about higher efficiency and productivity for enterprises, including use cases in augmented/virtual reality and Industry 4.0 innovations. For consumers, this means better connectivity at home over Wi-Fi and a more seamless experience when devices shift to mobile connectivity as consumers move outdoors.
IMDA plans to amend its regulations to allocate the radio frequency spectrum 5,925 MHz – 6,425 MHz for Wi-Fi use in Singapore, and Wi-Fi 6E-enabled equipment and devices are expected to be commercially available in the country by the third quarter of 2023.
Source 8world / IMDA