IEEE 802.11be: Wi-Fi 7 Strikes Back

Abstract

As hordes of data-hungry devices challenge its current capabilities, Wi-Fi strikes back with 802.11be, alias Wi-Fi 7. This brand new amendment promises a (r)evolution of unlicensed wireless connectivity as we know it. To appreciate its foreseen impact, we start by overviewing the latest Wi-Fi-related news, with emphasis on the recently launched Wi-Fi 6E certification program. We then provide an updated digest of 802.11be essential features, vouching for multi-AP coordination as a must-have for critical and latency-sensitive applications. We finally get down to the nitty-gritty of one of its most enticing implementations - coordinated beamforming - for which our standard-compliant simulations confirm near-tenfold reductions in worst case delays.