Future Directions for Wi-Fi 8 and Beyond

Generation after generation, Wi-Fi has experienced tremendous growth in both market penetration and technical capabilities. Wi-Fi 6/6E is the latest generation of the technology with commercially available products. In the meantime, the industry is already developing Wi-Fi 7, based on features defined in IEEE 802.11be. As the feature set of Wi-Fi 7 becomes well defined and product development is underway, it is essential to take a step back to analyze what the usages and technology drivers of the next 5-10 years will be. With this understanding and the expectation that Wi-Fi 8 could become a market reality in the 2027/2028 timeframe, we can anticipate technology candidates that can be part of Wi-Fi 8. In this article, we provide an overview of Wi-Fi generations until Wi-Fi 7, and then discuss future market requirements, drivers, and technology challenges in meeting them. We then introduce several possible technical directions for Wi-Fi 8 along different performance vectors, including throughput, capacity, and device density, as well as improved support for quality of service, latency and reliability, and operation in new frequency bands.

Automated summary

Wi-Fi technology has evolved through multiple generations, with Wi-Fi 6/6E and Wi-Fi 7 being the latest stages. This article analyzes future market requirements and technology challenges for the next 5-10 years, and introduces possible technical directions for Wi-Fi 8.