Wi-Fi to Get Five Times Faster than Now
South Korea has ushered in a new era of Wi-Fi as the government has allocated a new frequency band for next-generation Wi-Fi, which will be five times faster than the current service.
The Korean Ministry of Science and ICT announced on Oct. 15 that it will supply the 6 GHz frequency band for unlicensed broadband communication. The plan was announced in June and was endorsed by the Frequency Review Committee on Oct. 12.
Currently, Wi-Fi uses 663.5㎒ bandwidth in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands. The current Wi-Fi speed is 400 Mbps to 600 Mbps. The government has decided to provide 1.2 GHz bandwidth between the 5,925 MHz and 7.125 MHz for next-generation Wi-Fi, boosting the Wi-Fi speed to 2.1 Gbps.
It is the first time in 16 years that the Korean government provides a new frequency band for Wi-Fi. Korea is the second country after the United States to introduce Wi-Fi with such a high speed.
An unlicensed frequency is used for Wi-Fi services and the Internet of Things (IoT). People can use an unlicensed frequency band for Wi-Fi without paying for it. Anyone can use the entire 6 GHz band at 250mW or less in a room with a next-generation Wi-Fi connection. Tethering is limited to 520 MHz at the bottom of the 6 GHz range and can be used indoors and outdoors. Korea is the first country in the world to allow Wi-Fi connection between devices in that frequency band.
The new Wi-Fi is expected to help create 5G convergence services based on connections between 5G terminals and AR and VR devices.