IEEE 802.11be
| Generation | IEEE standard |
Adopted | Maximum link rate (Mbit/s) |
Radio frequency (GHz) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi 8 | 802.11bn | 2028 | 100,000 | 2.4, 5, 6, mmWave |
| Wi-Fi 7 | 802.11be | 2024 | 1376–46,120 | 2.4, 5, 6 |
| Wi-Fi 6E | 802.11ax | 2020 | 574–9608 | 6 |
| Wi-Fi 6 | 2019 | 2.4, 5 | ||
| Wi-Fi 5 | 802.11ac | 2014 | 433–6933 | 5 |
| Wi-Fi 4 | 802.11n | 2008 | 72–600 | 2.4, 5 |
| (Wi-Fi 3)* | 802.11g | 2003 | 6–54 | 2.4 |
| (Wi-Fi 2)* | 802.11a | 1999 | 5 | |
| (Wi-Fi 1)* | 802.11b | 1999 | 1–11 | 2.4 |
| (Wi-Fi 0)* | 802.11 | 1997 | 1–2 | 2.4 |
| *Wi‑Fi 0, 1, 2, and 3 are named by retroactive inference. They do not exist in the official nomenclature. | ||||
IEEE 802.11be, dubbed Extremely High Throughput (EHT), is the latest of the IEEE 802.11 standard, which is designated Wi-Fi 7. It has built upon 802.11ax, focusing on WLAN indoor and outdoor operation with stationary and pedestrian speeds in the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz frequency bands.
Throughput is believed to reach a theoretical maximum of 46 Gbit/s, although actual results are much lower.
Development of the 802.11be amendment is ongoing, with an initial draft in March 2021, and a final version expected by the end of 2024. Despite this, numerous products were announced in 2022 based on draft standards, with retail availability in early 2023. On 8 January 2024, the Wi-Fi Alliance introduced its "Wi-Fi Certified 7" program to certify Wi-Fi 7 devices. While final ratification is not expected until the end of 2024, the technical requirements are essentially complete.
The global Wi-Fi 7 market is estimated at 1 billion USD in 2023, and is projected to reach 24.2 billion USD by 2030.