Broadcom and MediaTek are set to release their respective Wi-Fi 7 SoC series in the first half of 2022, looking to build a preemptive presence in the next-generation Wi-Fi segment that will see keener competition than the previous generations amid the forthcoming boom of 5G mmWave applications, according to industry sources.
The penetration of Wi-Fi 6/6E applications will rise sharply in 2022 to become a mainstream until Wi-Fi 7 standards are fully available in 2024, the sources said.
IEEE released its initial draft of Wi-Fi 7 standard, 802.11be, in May 2021 and is slated to finalize full specs for the next-generation Wi-Fi in 2024, while Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) is also scheduled to issue a complete set of Wi-Fi 7 certification standards in December 2023, the sources continued.
Nevertheless, to secure a preemptive presence in the next-generation Wi-Fi segment, major chipmakers have all been keen to carry out related development projects, the sources said. Though Qualcomm and Realtek have yet to set timetables for launching Wi-Fi 7 offerings, their deployments remain in high gear, the sources added.
Broadcom Taiwan senior director Alex Chou said the company will deliver its Wi-Fi 7 SoCs to clients for trail runs in the second half of 2022, stressing that Wi-Fi 7 will be crucial in AIoT application scenarios, facilitating greater flexibility in spectrum band usage and boosting long-time networking stability. MediaTek CEO Rick Tsai recently also noted the company will constantly pursue breakthroughs in Wi-Fi chip technology.
But with related technology standards not available yet, new Wi-Fi 7 chips solutions to be released by Broadcom and MediaTek in 2022 may not be able to support 16X16 MIMO antenna modules as expected for the next-generation Wi-Fi, the sources said. At the moment, both Wi-Fi 6/6E can support 8x8 MIMO at the best.
Both chipmakers are not expected to see clients massively adopt their Wi-Fi 7 chops until after complete technology standards are available in 2024, the sources said.
The sources also noted that Wi-Fi 7 SoCs are expected to be manufactured using 16nm and 7nm processes, compared to 28nm for Wi-Fi 6/6E chip solutions.
Article translated by Willis Ke
