Mediatek shows off WiFi 7 tech - expect it only in 2023

MediaTek Filogic
(Image credit: MediaTek)

All may not be stable with the WiFi 6 technology and efforts to streamline it may still be on. However, that hasn't stopped Taiwanese chip maker Mediatek from starting to demo its WiFi 7 hardware to customers and industry collaborators.

WiFi 7 - currently known as IEEE 802.11be - will bring support for faster speeds and reduced network congestion. MediaTek says its first Wi-Fi 7 Filogic connectivity products are expected to launch in 2023. However, analysts feel these might be just prototypes or business devices.

WiFi 7 supports speeds up to 40Gbit/s, that is 2.4 times that of WiFi 6 and 6E by using all the frequency bands, including 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz.  The new technology can fulfill the need for all the applications consumers enjoy today and also open the door for future AR/VR applications.

What has Mediatek been doing?

MediaTek has been involved in the development of the WiFi 7 standard since its inception, and is one of the first adopters of Wi-Fi 7 technology. Its Fologic chipsets offer fast, reliable connectivity for broadband routers, mesh systems, enterprise access points and retail routers.

Using its Wi-Fi 7 Filogic chips, it has been trying to achieve the maximum speed defined by IEEE 802.11be. Its demo has also used multi-link operation (MLO) technology, which aggregates multiple channels on different frequencies bands at the same time to highlight how network traffic can still flow seamlessly even if there is interference or congestion on the bands. MLO technology will be at the core of delivering faster and more reliable video streaming and gaming.

“The rollout of Wi-Fi 7 will mark the first time that Wi-Fi can be a true wireline/Ethernet replacement for super high-bandwidth applications,” Alan Hsu, corporate vice president and general manager of the Intelligent Connectivity business at MediaTek was quoted as saying in a media release

“MediaTek’s Wi-Fi 7 technology will be the backbone of home, office and industrial networks and provide seamless connectivity for everything from multi-player AR/VR applications to cloud gaming and 4K calls to 8K streaming and beyond," he added

Wi-Fi 7 can be very attractive for devices including flagship smartphones, PCs, consumer devices and vertical industries like retail and industrial.

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Balakumar K
Senior Editor

Over three decades as a journalist covering current affairs, politics, sports and now technology. Former Editor of News Today, writer of humour columns across publications and a hardcore cricket and cinema enthusiast. He writes about technology trends and suggest movies and shows to watch on OTT platforms.