Qualcomm extends Wi-Fi experiences with 60GHz 802.11ay solutions

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Qualcomm Technologies has announced a family of 60GHz Wi-Fi chipsets, the QCA64x8 and QCA64x1, delivering 10+ gigabit-per-second (Gbps) network speeds and wire equivalent latency, while setting an industry low-power benchmark for extended device battery life.

Reliance on high-bandwidth mmWave spectrum is set to increase, and the 60GHz Wi-Fi portfolio has been designed to have the flexibility to meet those demands while, at the same time, harnessing unique capabilities that support new 60GHz Wi-Fi Sensing applications like proximity and presence detection, gesture recognitions, room mapping with precise location and improved facial feature detection.

Qualcomm is the first-to market with a 60GHz Wi-Fi solution with optimisations based on the 802.11ay specification, enabling best-in-class 60GHz Wi-Fi speeds and unmatched coverage performance.

“mmWave holds enormous potential to support a new class of user experiences,” said Rahul Patel, senior vice president and general manager, connectivity and networking, Qualcomm Technologies. “Our 11ay solutions were developed with the flexibility to support a broad ecosystem of smartphone, router or fixed wireless access platforms and provides the industry with the critical building blocks needed to take connectivity performance to the next level.”

The 11ay 60GHz Wi-Fi chipsets includes QCA6438 and QCA6428 for infrastructure and fixed wireless access, and the QCA6421 and QCA6431 for mobile applications.

Earlier this year, Qualcomm Technologies, and Facebook announced they are working together to deliver high-speed internet connectivity with Facebook’s Terragraph technology through the development of a multi-node wireless system based on the QCA6438 and QCA6428 chipsets.

mmWave-based 60GHz Wi-Fi is a low interference, bandwidth rich spectrum that delivers increased wireless capacity, multi-gigabit speeds, and ultra-low latency. These attributes make 60GHz Wi-Fi suited across a wide range of wireless ecosystems spanning mobile, enterprise, outdoor backhaul, and the smart home.

Empowered by double-digit gigabit-per-second speeds, this new family of solutions provides wire-equivalent latencies enabling new and exciting gaming and entertainment experiences such as 4K streaming, virtually lag-free mobile screen casting to an entertainment system and truly immersive wireless virtual and augmented reality experiences, all while providing high power efficiency to significantly extend battery life.

Signature attributes of 60GHz Wi-Fi go far beyond high performance throughput, as the new chipsets enable always-on ambient Wi-Fi sensing capabilities, enabling devices to identify people, objects, movements and precise location without being affected by light conditions. Networking and mobile devices alike can take advantage of these new Wi-Fi sensing features to provide new and differentiated experiences to end users.

“802.11ay brings unprecedented connectivity for wireless devices, providing the best-to-date alternative to cable and fibre,” said John Tully, chief executive officer, MikroTik.

Qualcomm’s new 60GHz Wi-Fi chipsets, the QCA64x8 and QCA64x1 are now available.