• In May ICASA opened up the lower 6GHz spectrum which enables WiFi 6E.
• This standard offers greater capacity and lower latency for home and business users.
• Of course, your technology will need to be capable of using this standard and for most that would mean a rather expensive upgrade.

South Africans using a WiFi 6 router still having connectivity problems may be excited to know that WiFi 6E is now a viable solution in South Africa.

Back in May, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa opened up the lower 6GHz spectrum band for use by WiFi services. Specifically, the 5925 – 6425MHz have been allocated for use in WiFi.

“This additional spectrum can support more simultaneous connections, offers reduced latency, delivers faster data speeds, and results in less interference, especially in potential congested high-density areas and campus environments. Overall, the implementation of the lower 6 GHz frequency band is expected to provide significant improvements, more robust and reliable wireless communications, and an enhanced user experience for both the consumers and businesses throughout the country,” ICASA said last month.

This allocation effectively triples the spectrum available for WiFi routers, provided those routers are capable of leveraging the WiFi 6E standard.

“For home, SOHO (Small Office / Home Office) and SME users, in particular, the recent amendments to the radio regulations dramatically increase the spectrum available for use by WiFi applications,” regulatory advisor at the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA), Dominic Cull said in a statement.

“This latest ICASA move caters for many more connected devices on the home WiFi network, particularly in high-density and multi-level building,” adds Cull.

WiFi 6E caters to our growing hunger for data-intensive services such as live and on-demand video, online gaming and metaverse activities. Of course, your router is only going to deliver speeds as fast as your internet connection will muster so just keep that in mind. The same goes for your devices which will also need WiFi 6E support

With that having been said, if you constantly find your WiFi connection is slowing down or dropping out when the rest of the family or office comes online, it may be time to upgrade your setup.

Of course, a new standard comes at an additional price and this WiFi 6E mesh system from TP Link is an example of just how expensive living on the bleeding edge of tech can be. We’re just going to keep using the router our ISP gave us.