Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) has been approved as an Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) Operator by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an important milestone following four years of development, successful lab testing and public trials with all U.S. stakeholders. AFC is a critical technology for the management of the 6 GHz spectrum and ensuring the best user experience. AFC allows the use of standard power by devices such as Wi-Fi 6E and 7 access points, while safeguarding incumbent operations already using the spectrum such as point-to-point mobile operator links and fixed wireless access deployments.
AFC will automatically allocate the channel and power strength a device can use in real-time based on requests made through AFC Operators to a centralized spectrum database. The database will be aware of the available channels, other nearby operators, and ensure compliance with rules set by regulators in a country, ensuring independent allocation of spectrum use.
Tiago Rodrigues, CEO and president of the WBA said, “We are delighted our work on AFC has resulted in our approval as an AFC Operator, and the collaboration on Open AFC has been instrumental in the development of our AFC platform. The WBA has been working with its members for over four years to see its vision for combining Wi-Fi 6E, 7 and 6 GHz AFC become a reality, as AFC is a critical component for the use of standard power on 6 GHz. The WBA will continue to champion the deployment of these standards globally, and we encourage all telecoms operators and Wi-Fi vendors to get involved in deploying AFC to maximize the benefits of using new spectrum on the 6 GHz band.”