Not to be confused with IEEE 802.11b.

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IEEE 802.11be-2024[1] or 802.11be, dubbed Extremely High Throughput (EHT), is a wireless networking standard in the IEEE 802.11 set of protocols[2][3] which is designated Wi-Fi 7 by the Wi-Fi Alliance.[4][5][6] It is built upon Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax), focusing on WLAN indoor and outdoor operation with stationary and pedestrian speeds in the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz frequency bands.[7]

In a single band, throughput reaches a theoretical maximum of 23 Gbit/s, although actual results are much lower.

Development of the 802.11be amendment began with an initial draft in March 2021 and the final version was published on 22 July 2025.[8][5][9][10] 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 as the technical requirements were essentially complete.[11][12][13]

Core features

The following are core features that have been approved as of Draft 3.0:

  • 4096-QAM (4K-QAM) enables each symbol to carry 12 bits rather than 10 bits, resulting in 20% higher theoretical transmission rates than Wi-Fi 6's 1024-QAM, at the same symbol or baud rate. This feature is optional for Wi-Fi 7 certification.[14]
  • Contiguous and non-contiguous 320/160+160 MHz and 240/160+80 MHz bandwidth. This feature is optional for Wi-Fi 7 certification.[14][a]
  • Multi-link Operation (MLO), a feature that increases capacity by simultaneously sending and receiving data across different frequency bands and channels. (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz). This feature is mandatory for Wi-Fi 7 certification.[14] Wi-Fi 7 builds on the technology of Wi-Fi 6 through the introduction of Multi-Link Operation (MLO), allowing users to connect to 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands simultaneously.[15]
  • 8 spatial streams and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) protocol enhancements. (Initial 16 but removed from the specs in 2024).
  • Flexible Channel Utilization – Interference currently can negate an entire Wi-Fi channel. With preamble puncturing, a portion of the channel that is affected by interference can be blocked off while continuing to use the rest of the channel. This feature is mandatory for Wi-Fi 7 certification.[14][b]
  • Multiple Resource Unit (MRU) – Improves OFDMA technology from Wi-Fi 6, allowing a single user to have multiple Resource Units. This feature is mandatory for Wi-Fi 7 certification.[14]

Candidate features

The main candidate features mentioned in the 802.11be Project Authorization Request (PAR) are:[16]

  • Multi-Access Point (AP) Coordination (e.g. coordinated and joint transmission),
  • Enhanced link adaptation and retransmission protocol (e.g. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ)).
  • If needed, adaptation to regulatory rules specific to 6 GHz spectrum.[14][a]
  • Integrating Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) IEEE 802.1Q extensions for low-latency real-time traffic:[17][18][19]
    • IEEE 802.1AS timing and synchronization
    • IEEE 802.11aa MAC Enhancements for Robust Audio Video Streaming (Stream Reservation Protocol over IEEE 802.11)
    • IEEE 802.11ak Enhancements for Transit Links Within Bridged Networks (802.11 links in 802.1Q networks)
    • Bounded latency: credit-based (IEEE 802.1Qav) and cyclic/time-aware traffic shaping (IEEE 802.1Qch/Qbv), asynchronous traffic scheduling (IEEE 802.1Qcr-2020)
    • IEEE 802.11ax Scheduled Operation extensions for reduced jitter/latency

Additional features

Apart from the features mentioned in the PAR, there are newly introduced features:[20]

  • Frame formats with improved forward-compatibility.
  • Enhanced resource allocation in OFDMA.
  • Implicit channel sounding, optimized to require less airtime.
  • Support for direct links, managed by an access point.[clarification needed]

Rate set

Modulation and coding schemes
MCS index[i]Modulation typeCoding rateData rate (Mbit/s)[ii]
20 MHz channels40 MHz channels80 MHz channels160 MHz channels320 MHz channels
3200 ns GI[iii]1600 ns GI800 ns GI3200 ns GI1600 ns GI800 ns GI3200 ns GI1600 ns GI800 ns GI3200 ns GI1600 ns GI800 ns GI3200 ns GI1600 ns GI800 ns GI
0BPSK1/2789151617313436616872123136144
1QPSK1/2151617293334616872122136144245272288
2QPSK3/422242644495292102108184204216368408432
316-QAM1/2293334596569123136144245272288490544577
416-QAM3/44449528898103184204216368408432735817865
564-QAM2/359656911713013824527228849054457698010891153
664-QAM3/4667377132146155276306324551613649110312251297
764-QAM5/6738186146163172306340360613681721122513611441
8256-QAM3/48898103176195207368408432735817865147016331729
9256-QAM5/698108115195217229408453480817907961163318151922
101024-QAM3/411012212921924425845951054091910211081183820422162
111024-QAM5/6122135143244271287510567600102111341201204222692402
124096-QAM3/4131146155263293310551613649110312251297220524502594
134096-QAM5/6146163172293325344613681721122513611441245027222882
14BPSK-DCM-DUP1/2789151718313436
15BPSK-DCM1/2444789151718313436616872

802.11be Task Group

The 802.11be Task Group is led by individuals affiliated with Qualcomm, Intel, and Broadcom. Those affiliated with Huawei, Maxlinear, NXP, and Apple also have senior positions.[10]

Commercial availability

Hardware

The Wi-Fi Alliance maintains a list of Wi-Fi 7 certified devices.[21]

Software

Android 13 and higher provide support for Wi-Fi 7.[22]

The Linux 6.2 kernel provides support for Wi-Fi 7 devices. The 6.4 kernel added Wi-Fi 7 mesh support.[23] Linux 6.5 included significant driver support by Intel engineers, particularly support for MLO.[24]

Support for Wi-Fi 7 was added to Windows 11, as of build 26063.1.[25][26]

Notes

  1. ^ MCS 9 is not applicable to all combinations of channel width and spatial stream count.
  2. ^ Per spatial stream
  3. ^ GI stands for guard interval.
  1. ^ see 3.2. – 320 MHz Channel Width
  2. ^ see 3.4. – Preamble Puncturing

References

  1. ^ "IEEE 802.11be-2024". IEEE Standards Association. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  2. ^ "Wi-Fi 7". Wi-Fi Alliance. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  3. ^ Jackson, Mark (2024-01-08). "Wi-Fi Alliance Officially Certifies Kit for New Wi-Fi 7 Standard". ISPreview UK. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  4. ^ Shankland, Stephen (2019-09-03). "Wi-Fi 6 is barely, but Wi-Fi 7 is already on the way – With improvements to Wi-Fi 6 and its successor, Qualcomm is working to boost speeds and overcome congestion on wireless networks.". CNET. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  5. ^ Khorov, Evgeny (2020-05-08). "Current Status and Directions of IEEE 802.11be, the Future Wi-Fi 7". IEEE. 8: 88664–88688. Bibcode:2020IEEEA...888664K. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2993448. S2CID 218834597
  6. ^ "Wi-Fi Generations". Wi-Fi Alliance. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  7. ^ López-Pérez, David (12 Feb 2019). "IEEE 802.11be – Extremely High Throughput: The Next Generation of Wi-Fi Technology Beyond 802.11ax". arXiv:1902.04320
  8. ^ "Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) Technical Guide". Cisco Meraki Documentation. 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  9. ^ "IEEE 802.11, The Working Group Setting the Standards for Wireless LANs". www.ieee802.org. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  10. ^ "IEEE P802.11 – TASK GROUP BE (EHT) – GROUP INFORMATION UPDATE". www.ieee802.org. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  11. ^ "The Next Generation of Wi-Fi Is Officially Here. But You Don't Need It (Yet).". The New York Times. 2024-02-16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  12. ^ Boever, Nick (2024-01-17). "The First Wi-Fi 7 Certified Devices Have Begun to Hit the Market". CEPRO. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  13. ^ "Intel® Wi-Fi 7 Series Products and Solutions with Intel® Wi-Fi 7...". Intel. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  14. ^ "Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) Technical Guide". Cisco Meraki – Documentation. 3 December 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  15. ^ "A Complete Guide to Wi-Fi 7". MyRepublic. 2024-05-30.
  16. ^ "802.11be Project Authorization Request (PAR)". Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  17. ^ Dave Cavalcanti; Jerome Henry; Ganesh Venkatesan (November 2003). "IEEE 802.11 features towards RAW". IETF
  18. ^ Wi-Fi TSN Capabilities datatracker.ietf.org
  19. ^ 802.1 TSN over 802.11 with updates from developments in 802.11be ieee802.org
  20. ^ E. Khorov; I. Levitsky; I. F. Akyildiz (2020). "Current Status and Directions of IEEE 802.11be, the Future Wi-Fi 7". IEEE Access. 8 (in press): 88664–88688. IEEE. Bibcode:2020IEEEA...888664K. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2993448
  21. ^ "Product Finder Results | Wi-Fi Alliance". www.wi-fi.org
  22. ^ "Android 13 review". 20 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Linux 6.4 Has Many Networking Changes from a New Performance Tunable to More WiFi 7"
  24. ^ "Linux 6.5 Continues Making Preparations for WiFi 7, Enabling New Hardware"
  25. ^ Blog, Windows Insider (22 February 2024). "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26063 (Canary Channel)". Windows Insider Blog. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  26. ^ Carrasqueira, João (2024-02-22). "Windows 11 preview adds support for Wi-Fi 7". XDA Developers. Retrieved 2024-02-24.