Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1284149
8 I ICT TODAY FIGURE 1: Evolution of Wi-Fi and 5G standards. (Image: ©2020 CommScope. All rights reserved.) 802.11 b, a 2/11/54 Mb/s 1997-1999 802.11 g 54 Mb/s 2003 802.11 n 600 Mb/s 2009 802.11 ac 6.8 Gb/s 2014 802.11 ax 10 Gb/s 2019 802.11 ax6E 10 Gb/s 2020s 802.11ay uses the 60 GHz spectrum to provide 20-40 Gb/s throughput. Wi-Fi 6E opens up an additional 1.2 GHz for unlicensed use in US and 455 MHz in EU. Al rates are peak PHY rates at maximum configuration. Actual data rates generally 50-75% of peak PHY rates. For example, TCP throughput is 70%, 60%, and 50% of PHY rate for 11ac, 11n, and 11a/b/g, respectively. 1G 2.4 Kb/s 1980s 2G 9.6-100 Kb/s 1990s 3G 2-42 Mb/s 2000s 4G 0.1-1 Gb/s 2010s 5G 2-20 Gb/s 2020s EVOLUTION OF STANDARDS THE Wi-Fi EVOLUTION Wi-Fi has come a long way since the late 1990s. The first and second generations of Wi-Fi (802.11b and 802.11a) were game changers when they were released; they unteth- ered computers from the wired Ethernet connections that were a standard of the time. The third and fourth generations of Wi-Fi, also known as 802.11g and 802.11n, upped the ante with new features for the 2.4 GHz band, as well as faster speeds respectively. With more wireless devices in the 2000s, such as smart- phones, tablets, set-tops, and gaming consoles, these gen- erations ushered in the mainstream adoption of Wi-Fi. In fact, the uptick in traffic on the common 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band already had consumers and their devices looking toward the faster and less congested 5 GHz band for reprieve. In 2014, 5 GHz Wi-Fi got a big upgrade with Wi-Fi 5 (also known as 802.11ac). This fifth generation of Wi-Fi finally brought the 5 GHz band of Wi-Fi into the realm of gigabit speeds (Figure 1). In 2019, Wi-Fi 6 (or 802.11ax) went even further by increasing general performance on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. It also laid the groundwork for the next generation of Wi-Fi that would leverage the FCC's release of new spectrum to compose a new 6 GHz band.