By Claus Hetting, Wi-Fi NOW CEO & Chairman
On Friday February 23 the FCC announced that seven organisations have been approved to deliver AFC services. The seven organisations are: Qualcomm, Federated Wireless, Broadcom, Sony Group Cooperation, Wireless Broadband Alliance, Wi-Fi Alliance Services, and Comsearch (CommScope). The decision ushers in a new era in Wi-Fi as standard power 6 GHz Wi-Fi operation can now begin everywhere across the US.
It has been a long time coming but Friday was the day when the FCC finally approved seven organisations to deliver the much-coveted AFC services required for 6 GHz standard power operation indoors and out across the US. According to Broadcom, standard power 6 GHz operation will deliver 63 times higher power levels compared to current LPI (low power indoor) 6 GHz Wi-Fi and launch the Wi-Fi industry on a new trajectory of growth. The full FCC statement can be found here.
Among the seven organisations is Qualcomm, whose AFC was already approved for operations in Canada in September 2023 (also see below our short video presentation of the Qualcomm solution as presented at the Qualcomm Analyst Day in September of last year). Federated Wireless – well known for providing services to manage CBRS spectrum in the US – also becomes an AFC operator, as does Sony and Comsearch, which is a brand under CommScope.
Finally Broadcom, Wireless Broadband Alliance, and Wi-Fi Alliance Services are also expected to begin operating as AFC service providers. Broadcom was among the founders of the OpenAFC initiative in August 2021 together with Cisco and Meta. All of the above three organisation are using the OpenAFC platform for their services, Broadcom says.
What will AFC mean to Wi-Fi & FWA?
AFC services will permit standard power operation in the 6 GHz band across a whopping 850 MHz of 6 GHz spectrum both indoors and outdoors. This means that for example stadiums can begin using standard power (outdoor) Wi-Fi as can anyone else – including ISPs (for home Wi-Fi), enterprises, cities, industry, transport, you name it – all while protecting incumbent users of the 6 GHz band from potentially harmful interference. AFC is the first spectrum sharing initiative of its kind in the world.
Standard power levels will extend both range of throughput of 6 GHz Wi-Fi substantially wherever used. AFC will not impact end-user devices (as they are not required to query the AFC database) but will require that Wi-Fi access points query the AFC system once a day to receive permission to use specific 6 GHz bands at their location. It is not yet entirely clear how vendors intend to introduce this into the Wi-Fi AP retail (consumer) segment. In most locations it is likely that APs will be able to use the vast majority of the available 850 MHz of band. Also see our recent Special Event on AFC here.
For fixed wireless access operators using unlicensed bands (most WISPs do), AFC will arguably be a game changing opportunity to provide more as well as faster broadband services to an ever larger number of homes and business across the US. For more on this topic also see our reporting on Nextlink and Cambium Networks’ AFC trials of 2022 here.
Below: Watch Qualcomm’s Director of Product Management Sreeja Nair present AFC at Qualcomm’s Wi-Fi 7 Analyst Day, September 2023.
/Claus.
