IEEE 802.11bn

Not to be confused with IEEE 802.11b or IEEE 802.11be.

IEEE 802.11bn, dubbed Ultra High Reliability (UHR), is an upcoming IEEE 802.11 wireless networking standard.[1] It is also designated Wi-Fi 8 by the Wi-Fi Alliance. As its designation suggests, 802.11bn aims to improve the reliability of wireless communications rather than primarily increasing data rates.[2] The standard is projected to be finalized in September 2028.[3]

Wi-Fi generations
Gen.[4] IEEE
standard 		Adopt. Link rate
(Mbit/s) 		2.4 GHz 5 GHz 6 GHz
802.11 1997 1–2 Yes
802.11b 1999 1–11 Yes
802.11a 1999 6–54 Yes
802.11g 2003 Yes
Wi-Fi 4 802.11n 2009 6.5–600 Yes Yes
Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac 2013 6.5–6,933 Yes[a]
Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax 2021 0.4–9,608 Yes Yes
Wi-Fi 6E[b] Yes Yes Yes
Wi-Fi 7 802.11be 2024 0.4–23,059 Yes Yes Yes
[5][2] 100,000[6] Yes Yes Yes

Background

The IEEE 802.11bn Ultra High Reliability study group was established in 2021 to address the need for more reliable wireless communications in increasingly dense and interference-prone environments. Unlike previous Wi-Fi generations that focused primarily on increasing peak data rates, Wi-Fi 8 represents a shift toward improving effective throughput and reducing latency in real-world conditions.[7]

The development recognizes that while theoretical peak throughput of modern Wi-Fi often exceeds application requirements, users frequently experience intermittent connectivity issues due to environmental factors, interference, and protocol overhead in dense deployment scenarios.[8]

Technical specifications

802.11bn maintains the same frequency bands as Wi-Fi 7: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz. The maximum channel bandwidth remains at 320 MHz, and it continues to support 4096-QAM modulation and up to 8 spatial streams. The theoretical maximum data rate is expected to remain at approximately 23 Gbps, the same as Wi-Fi 7.[9]

Reliability requirements

The 802.11bn standard defines ultra-high reliability capability for both isolated Basic Service Sets (BSS) and overlapping BSSs with specific performance targets:

  • At least one mode capable of increasing throughput by 25% at a given signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio compared to Wi-Fi 7
  • At least one mode capable of reducing latency by 25% for the 95th percentile of the latency distribution
  • At least one mode capable of reducing MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) loss by 25% for BSS transitions[10]

Key features

Multi-AP coordination

Wi-Fi 8 introduces enhanced coordination between multiple access points through Coordinated Spatial Reuse (Co-SR) and Coordinated Beamforming (Co-BF). These technologies allow access points to manage interference more effectively while sharing spectrum resources, enabling simultaneous transmissions that would otherwise conflict.[11]

Enhanced spectrum utilization

Dynamic Sub-channel Operation (DSO) and Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA) optimize spectrum allocation to improve performance when devices have disparate channel bandwidth capabilities. These features address scenarios where high-bandwidth access points must reduce their transmission capability to accommodate lower-bandwidth clients.

Extended range capabilities

The Enhanced Long Range (ELR) protocol data unit format is designed to overcome link budget imbalances between uplink and downlink transmissions, improving spectrum efficiency for stations operating at greater distances from access points. ELR operates at 20 MHz bandwidth with support for BPSK and QPSK modulation.[10]

Distributed Resource Units

Distributed Resource Units (dRU) use a separate OFDM tone plan designed to provide power and range benefits for stations operating in frequency bands with power spectral density limits. This feature supports distributing bandwidths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz.

Additional MCS values

Wi-Fi 8 introduces four new Modulation and Coding Scheme values to provide finer granulation between existing MCS levels, improving link adaptation accuracy and transmission rates by 5-30% depending on channel conditions.

Quality of service enhancements

High Priority Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (HIP EDCA) and TXOP Preemption mechanisms are designed to reduce long-tail latency for time-sensitive applications such as gaming, video conferencing, and real-time communications.

In-Device Coexistence

In-Device Coexistence (IDC) mechanisms improve coordination between Wi-Fi and other wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Ultra-wideband within the same device, reducing interference and improving overall performance.

Development timeline

The 802.11bn Task Group was formed in May 2021. The standard follows the typical IEEE development cycle of approximately 6-7 years. Key milestones include:

  • 2021: Study Group formation and initial requirements
  • 2022-2024: Draft development phases (D1-D4)
  • 2025-2027: Later draft phases (D5-D7)
  • September 2028: Projected final standard approval[10]

Wi-Fi 8 certification by the Wi-Fi Alliance is expected to begin in early 2028, with commercial products likely available before final standard ratification, following the pattern established by previous Wi-Fi generations.

Applications

Wi-Fi 8's reliability improvements are particularly targeted at applications requiring consistent low-latency connectivity:

  • Extended reality (XR) applications including VR, AR, and mixed reality
  • Industrial automation and IoT deployments
  • High-density public venues and enterprise networks
  • Real-time gaming and interactive media
  • Telemedicine and remote healthcare applications[12]

Industry adoption

Major networking equipment manufacturers and chipset vendors are actively participating in the 802.11bn development process. Companies including MediaTek, Qualcomm, Intel, and Broadcom are contributing to the specification and developing early implementations.[7]

The wireless industry anticipates Wi-Fi 8 will be particularly valuable in environments where reliability is more critical than peak performance, complementing rather than replacing 5G cellular networks for internet access.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 802.11ac only specifies operation in the 5 GHz band. Operation in the 2.4 GHz band is specified by 802.11n.
  2. ^ Wi-Fi 6E is the industry name that identifies Wi-Fi devices that also operate in 6 GHz. Wi-Fi 6E offers the features and capabilities of Wi-Fi 6 extended into the 6 GHz band.

References

  1. ^ Levinbook, Yoav; Ezri, Doron (2024-07-01). "AP cooperation in Wi-Fi: Joint transmission with a novel precoding scheme, resilient to phase offsets between transmitters". Signal Processing. 220 (July 2024) 109432. Bibcode:2024SigPr.22009432L. doi:10.1016/j.sigpro.2024.109432. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  2. ^ a b Giordano, Lorenzo; Geraci, Giovanni; Carrascosa, Marc; Bellalta, Boris (November 21, 2023). "What Will Wi-Fi 8 Be? A Primer on IEEE 802.11bn Ultra High Reliability". IEEE Communications Magazine. 62 (8): 126. arXiv:2303.10442. Bibcode:2024IComM..62h.126G. doi:10.1109/MCOM.001.2300728.
  3. ^ "Status of Project IEEE P802.11bn". IEEE. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  4. ^ "The Evolution of Wi-Fi Technology and Standards". IEEE. 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  5. ^ Reshef, Ehud; Cordeiro, Carlos (2023). "Future Directions for Wi-Fi 8 and Beyond". IEEE Communications Magazine. 60 (10). IEEE: 50–55. doi:10.1109/MCOM.003.2200037.
  6. ^ Geraci, Giovanni; Meneghello, Francesca; Wilhelmi, Francesc; Lopez-Perez, David; Val, Iñaki; Lorenzo Galati Giordano; Cordeiro, Carlos; Ghosh, Monisha; Knightly, Edward; Bellalta, Boris (2025). "Wi-Fi: Twenty-Five Years and Counting". arXiv:2507.09613 [cs.NI].
  7. ^ a b "Pioneering the Future with Wi-Fi 8: Part one" (PDF). MediaTek. October 2024. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  8. ^ "Why ultra high reliability for Wi-Fi 8 matters". RCR Wireless News. May 28, 2025. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  9. ^ "MediaTek | Wi-Fi 7 vs Wi-Fi 8 - what's the difference?". www.mediatek.com. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  10. ^ a b c "802.11bn Concepts" (PDF). IEEE. 2024. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  11. ^ "What is Wi-Fi 8?". HPE Aruba Networking. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  12. ^ Neeta Shenoy (August 6, 2025). "Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 8: Key Features, Differences and What They Mean for Product Development". Embedded Computing Design. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
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