With gigabits at the ready – Newspaper Kommersant No. 241 (7442) of 12/27/2022

Authorities have allowed the use of frequencies 5.9-6.4 GHz for the Wi-Fi 6E communication standard in offices and residential buildings. The standard increases the speed of wireless Internet access and is possible on all modern smartphones, tablets and PCs, but has not been legalized in the Russian Federation. The Ministry of Digital Development expects that in the face of a shortage of equipment for mobile networks, Wi-Fi can partially compensate for the decrease in their bandwidth. However, the functionality of the function depends on the position of equipment vendors who have stopped supporting Russian devices.

The State Commission on Radio Frequencies at a meeting on December 23 decided to allocate the 5.9-6.4 GHz range for the Wi-Fi 6E communication standard indoors, including in offices and residential buildings, a source familiar with the details of the meeting told Kommersant. and confirmed in the Ministry of Digital Development: “The range will increase the speed of access to the Internet in enclosed spaces.”

The main difference between Wi-Fi 6E and its predecessor Wi-Fi 6 is its operation at 6 GHz and a greater number of channels within the frequency. Wi-Fi 6 devices have been certified in Russia since the beginning of 2020 (see Kommersant dated February 10, 2020). Devices with Wi-Fi 6E appeared on the market in 2021, this standard is supported by all the latest models of Apple, Samsung, Honor, Xiaomi, etc. smartphones, as well as Asus, Acer, Lenovo, etc. laptops. However, for Russia, vendors turned off the functionality, because technology has not been legalized in the country.

Earlier in Russia, the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands were used for Wi-Fi, now the lower part of the 6 GHz band will be added, Oleg Ivanov, General Director of the Radio Research Institute subordinate to the Ministry of Digital Development, explained: “Practice has shown that Wi-Fi at 5 GHz is significantly faster and more stable than 2.4GHz. The new 6GHz bands will be even faster and enable gigabit speeds per user.” In addition, in the face of a weakening supply of equipment for LTE networks by a number of vendors, Wi-Fi can partially compensate for the decrease in the throughput of cellular networks, Oleg Ivanov believes. The technology will provide the user with a better level of service due to a higher connection speed, said Anton Guskov, representative of the RATEK Association of Trading Companies and Manufacturers of Electronics and Household Appliances: “We support the regulator’s decision.”

Due to hostilities in Ukraine, most foreign manufacturers of not only smartphones, tablets and computers, but also routers, stopped direct deliveries to Russia. Among the vendors whose devices support Wi-Fi 6E are TP-Link, Zyxel, Asus, Netgear and others. From the point of view of the availability of Wi-Fi 6E routers in Russia, “there are no big problems,” Mr. Ivanov assures. He explained: “A significant number of Wi-Fi equipment is produced by Chinese and Taiwanese companies that have not imposed restrictions on imports to Russia. Otherwise, these are mass devices, and their import can be arranged from third countries.”

The Ministry of Digital Transformation confirmed that the routers “arrive in sufficient quantities through the existing supply chains.”

The production of Russian routers with the appropriate characteristics “takes time,” the ministry said, but “there are already developments.” In October, the Roselectronics holding, which is part of the Rostec Group of Companies, announced that it had developed and began mass production of routers based on the Baikal processor. The company clarified that the current version of the routers does not support WI-FI 6E, this functionality is “under development and testing.”

But even if the equipment is available, there is a risk that the new standard will not be available in the Russian Federation. The fact is, Intel, whose wireless modules are used in laptops, disables their support in countries where the frequencies are not licensed. This was the case, in particular, with Wi-Fi 6: even after the standard was legalized in the Russian Federation in 2020, in order to activate the function, the user had to update the drivers and BIOS of the computer. “In the current geopolitical situation, there is a considerable risk that Intel will not rush to activate the modem modules of devices with Wi-Fi 6E support,” admits Alexey Boyko, an analyst at MForum Analytics.

Telecom operators support the allocation of new frequencies for Wi-Fi, but doubt that the technology will be able to seriously compete with LTE. “There is no “normal mobility” in it, but Wi-Fi is quite suitable for partial unloading of the data transmission network in places of mass location of subscribers,” VimpelCom believes, explaining that we can talk, for example, about large shopping centers or concert halls.

Julia Silence