As carriers rush to upgrade their infrastructure to 5G, another part of the mobile networking landscape is undergoing a major technological shift as well. An emerging standard for indoor mobile connections dubbed Wi-Fi 6E is promising to double internet speeds and halve latency all while cutting power usage at the same time.

Today, Broadcom Inc. unveiled what it says is the industry’s first Wi-Fi 6E chip for client devices. The BCM4389 targets flagship smartphones as well virtual reality and augmented reality headsets, with the chipmaker saying it can enable “real-world” wireless speeds of more than two gigabits per second on the top end. Battery efficiency is described as up to five times better than current technology.

The Wi-Fi 6E standard the BCM4389 employs  sends data over the 6GHz spectrum band. This part of the radio spectrum covers a much bigger number of individual frequencies than the 2.4Ghz and 5GHz bands used for Wi-Fi connections today, which is significant because the more frequencies a device can employ, the more data it can send at once.

The BCM4389 represents something of a calculated gamble on Broadcom’s part. The Federal Communications Commission has not yet authorized 6GHz Wi-Fi connections, nor have regulators in other major markets. But FCC chairman Ajit Pai expressed support for the idea last year and some in the industry believe the spectrum band could be opened for use in 2021.

Broadcom has equipped the BCM4389 with three separate radios. There’s the Wi-Fi 6E radio that will facilitate the expected 2-gigabit-per-second speeds, plus a second unit  for linking phones with Bluetooth accessories such as wireless earbuds. Broadcom said Bluetooth connections will be more reliable since the chip’s use of the 6Ghz band means it should pick up less interference from older devices operating in the 2.5Ghz and the 5Ghz bands.

The BCM4389’s third radio, the smallest of the bunch, will help pick out the highest-performance network when there are several nearby.

The speed boost from Wi-Fi 6E is set to benefit mobile users in several ways. “Expected uses of Wi-Fi 6E are contemplated to be high-bandwidth, high-performance applications such as 4K UHD video streaming, real-time immersive gaming, virtual and augmented reality, and high-speed tethering,” Vijay Nagarajan, the marketing head for Broadcom’s wireless communications business, wrote in a blog post.

The fact that Wi-Fi 6E is expected to not only improve connection speeds but also cut latency could make it particularly beneficial for the budding video game streaming industry. Google LLC, Nvidia Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have introduced cloud-based video game services over recent quarters that enable users to play games hosted in remote data centers.

An across-the-board improvement in the quality of mobile connections would enable the companies to offer a more attractive experience for mobile users, who, by virtue of spending over $68 billion annually on games, represent a massive market. 

Photo: Broadcom