We’re pleased to announce that Wi-Fi Now has recognized us as the “Best Enterprise Wi-Fi Solution” for the first ever demonstration of 6 GHz Standard Power using an AFC. This could not have been possible without the coordination of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s spectrum regulator, CITC (now CST), and our Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) system partner, Federated Wireless.
The importance of Wi-Fi Standard Power in 6 GHz
For more than two years, Wi-Fi 6E Low Power Indoor (LPI) mode has been approved for use in the 6 GHz band. While LPI has already delivered benefits to customers like the University of Michigan and Chase Center, this cannot be used for 1) outdoor operations, 2) when connectorized antennas are required, or 3) any time that higher power is required (the current LPI limit in the United States of America is 5 dBm/MHz, translating to 250 mW in an 80 MHz wide channel).
The FCC and other regulators recognized these limitations and created the Standard Power (SP) mode to address the urgent need for 6 GHz Wi-Fi in deployments such as:
- Outdoor stadiums
- Logistics centers
- Warehouses
- Campus coverage (both higher education and corporate)
- Rural fixed wireless broadband
- Indoor spaces where coverage or aesthetics necessitate connectorized antennas
- Residential solutions at higher powers
Standard power unlocks more opportunities, but spectrum use must be carefully coordinated to protect incumbents.
6 GHz Standard Power Model for Wi-Fi APs
Standard Power relies on the Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) model, in which a centralized or cloud-based geo-location database is used to coordinate unlicensed spectrum access while protecting the existing incumbent operations in the band. As a result, SP access points can transmit at up to 36 dBm (4 Watts) outdoors while avoiding harmful interference to nearby incumbent services, such as fixed microwave links that have used the 6 GHz band for decades. The Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) system has awareness of the incumbent services and coordinates spectrum access via propagation modeling with a wide range of inputs.
First Wi-Fi Standard Power demonstration
After over two years of concerted industry effort, Aruba performed the first (and to date, only) end-to-end demonstration of 6 GHz Standard Power Wi-Fi Access Points (APs) in action on August 3rd, 2022.Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s spectrum regulator and our partner, Federated Wireless, has provided the AFC coordination system.
The event successfully demonstrated:
- Federated AFC’s protection of incumbent licensed Fixed Service (FS) microwave operations by limiting the transmit power available to Standard Power Wi-Fi APs located at the CITC headquarters facility in Riyadh.
- Federated AFC’s protection of Radio Astronomy Services (RAS) via the establishment of a simulated geographic exclusion zone for the specific frequency range in which they operate.
- During the registration process, Aruba AP-655 Access Points determine their geolocation coordinates and provide this information to the AFC system.
- Aruba AP-655 APs/Aruba Central, and the Federated AFC communicate using the Wi-Fi Alliance’s AFC System to Device Interface (SDI) protocol specification.
- Aruba AP-655 APs and the Aruba Central cloud management service select their 6 GHz operating channel and maximum transmit power levels in accordance with the Spectrum Inquiry Response message from the Federated AFC.
- 4 AP-655s and 4 connected Wi-Fi 6E 2x2 client devices passed a total of almost 6 Gbps of data (~6 Gbps downstream and ~6 Gbps upstream), while operating on discrete 160 MHz wide channels—as an example of the type of capacity that opening the full 1200 MHz in the 6 GHz band enables for enterprises.
This is truly an industry-wide innovation that will transform spectrum allocation and global policy. While Aruba is proud to have taken this first "small step", the "giant leap" is in enabling Standard Power and AFC for the entire industry (yes, the Artemis 1 mission has us thinking about Neil Armstrong’s immortal words).
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