I already have WiFi, will it be shared?
If you’ve been to a large event recently, you may have been reminded of what happens when a large number of wireless devices gather in one area. The frequency band becomes excessive and the Internet connection becomes unstable. To solve this, various bandwidths are opened up to try and spread the traffic across the spectrum. Best practice was to separate WiFi and cellular traffic by assigning different parts of the spectrum, but this is subject to change.
Ofcom proposes a method that allows the upper 6GHz band to be used simultaneously by WiFi and cell signals. One idea is to design a MAC database that specifies when and where access by devices is allowed. It uses WiFi in the 6 GHz band for short-range WAPs for indoor installations and cellular signals outdoors. They also suggest enhancing channel sensing in WiFi devices to avoid collisions, and perhaps bringing the same functionality to mobile phones.
The FCC has already opened up the entire upper 6GHz band to low-power Wi-Fi for indoor use, as long as the device has an automatic frequency adjustment system to prevent collisions with other equipment. There are many legacy devices using the same band, but they are not smart enough to detect traffic.
This is a challenge and needs to be resolved now so new devices can have a place to transmit instead of trying to squeeze into already crowded frequencies.
