Intel and Broadcom have collaborated on a Wi-Fi 7 demo ahead of its prospective 2023 certification, according to PC Gamer.
The two companies showcased the upcoming connectivity standards, successfully demonstrating 5Gbps speeds going between an Intel laptop and a Broadcom access point. The speeds are five times faster than Wi-Fi 6 and 2.5 times faster than Wi-Fi 6E. They also have the potential to get even faster as Wi-Fi 7 develops as an ecosystem, the publication added.
The demonstration indicates an advanced stage of development for the Wi-Fi standard before its certification.
While Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E still have not found a solid standing within the market, continuing on to Wi-Fi 7 has a lot of potential not only for the creator companies, such as Intel and Broadcom but also for the businesses and consumers that will be using the standard.
Intel and Broadcom expect Wi-Fi 7 will do well in tandem with AR and VR services, due in part to its lower latency and the ability to connect to several high-resolution video streams at once on a single network. The standard is also expected to do well with gamers, who can potentially look forward to less bottlenecking on networks.
Wi-Fi 7 will likely be fully certified by mid-2023 with products certified to work with the standards rolling out to stores by the second half of the year. Wi-Fi 7 products will still be backward compatible with older connectivity standards, including Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, according to Intel and Broadcom.
While the Wi-Fi 7 demo shows a lot of promise, its actual launch and rollout will ultimately determine its success. Much like Wi-Fi 6E, having few products on the market can make the power of the standard fall flat.
PC Gamer notes that the standard will likely show up first on high-end motherboards, laptops, and smartphones, then routers and access points.