In addition, Wi-Fi 7 offers multi-link operation, or MLO, meaning it can connect to multiple spectrum bands at the same time, unlike Wi-Fi 6, which has access to multiple bands, but can connect to only one at a time.
The MLO capability in Wi-Fi 7 will be its biggest advantage over Wi-Fi 6, Leibovitz said. Because it can use more than one spectrum band at a time, “Wi-Fi 7 offers features for more bandwidth, better latency, and overall performance,” he added.
With many devices potentially using the MLO feature, Wi-Fi 7 may add some challenges to running wireless networks, he added. “The capability to have many IT devices, like laptops, tablets, and phones, all using MLO – you can imagine this becomes very complex for all the software to perform correctly,” he said.
Wi-Fi 7 targets IT devices on a local area network (LAN), Leibovitz noted, and many enterprises will need more than a single access point as offered with the Verizon gateway. Enterprise Wi-Fi systems typically sold from enterprise infrastructure vendors are designed to deploy many access points supporting many devices.
Verizon’s fixed wireless access offering “leverages the most powerful wireless solutions in the market today, combining a range of LTE and 5G options with Wi-Fi7 for both WAN and LAN connectivity,” said Patrick Filkins, research manager for IoT and telecom infrastructure at IDC.
The wireless LAN device “is able to connect business sites on low-, mid-, or high-band spectrum, providing more options for business customers to align application needs with a connectivity offering,” Filkins said.
