Today I published a research paper (Lessons from the History of Wi-Fi) on the (minimal) effect of the FCC’s unfortunate assignment of 1,200 MHz of new spectrum to Wi-Fi. Touted as essential to keeping up with the ridiculous download speeds now offered by cable companies in their attempt to outclass fiber and 5G fixed wireless access residential broadband, Wi-Fi 7 and 6 GHz do nothing for ordinary users.

Wi-Fi has had the ability to exceed 1 Gbps over medium to short distances since Wi-Fi 5 (IEEE 802.11ac) in 2013, all that regular people can use. Wi-Fi 7 provides download speeds up to 3 Gbps at 10 feet from the access point, but it’s not good for much. Genuine application needs are generally satisfied by 100 Mbps Internet access.

The over-assignment of spectrum in the mid-band looks like an attempt by incumbent ISPs to throttle competition. See the press release by CTIA.