On Thursday 22nd April, Access Partnership and The Internet Society (ISOC) co-hosted the event “Wi-Fi 6: Prospects and Opportunities for Mexico”. During the webinar, the speakers shared their views on the socio-economic benefits and importance of opening the 1,200 MHz of the 6 GHz band under a license-exempted model to increase the efficiency of spectrum use, meet consumer demand and enable new use cases and applications.
In his opening remarks, Adolfo Cuevas, President Commissioner of Mexico’ Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) commented on the decisions from regulators in Latin America and Asia to approve rules for the 6 GHz band and highlighted the need to ensure continued innovation and support for uninterrupted, high-performance connectivity. According to Cuevas, Wi-Fi 6 will enable a superior stage of societal development.
Dr. Raúl Katz, author of the study “Assessing the Economic Value of Unlicensed Use in the 6 GHz Band”, presented the economic benefits of having a regulatory framework for free use in the 6 GHz band in Mexico. According to the study, the cumulative economic value associated with enabling license-exempt access to the 1,200 MHz in the 6 GHz band could amount to $ 150.27 billion over the next 10 years.
Martha Suárez, President of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, explained that the mid-band spectrum that is currently available does not offer sufficiently wide channels for new use cases and industrial IoT applications that Wi-Fi 6 is expected to enable. In her view, this is why Wi-Fi urgently needs more spectrum.
Fernando Borjón, senior consultant at Access Partnership, added that the unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band and Wi-Fi 6E is one of the most important topics worldwide regarding public policies on spectrum, connectivity, and digital transformation.
Christopher Szymanski, Director of Product Marketing and Technology Strategy at Broadcom, explained that the unleash of Wi-Fi 6 will enable digitally immersive user experiences. He revealed that Broadcom has already manufactured 600 million chips for Wi-Fi 6E, and that they are achieving speeds of up to 2 Gbps with an impressive latency of as little as one millisecond.
Shernon Osepa, Director of the Caribbean Affairs and Development Office for the Internet Society (ISOC), expanded on ISOC’s role in working towards an open, globally connected, secure and reliable Internet for all and on how Wi-Fi 6E can contribute to this mission.
To wrap up the rich discussion around the socio-economic advantages of WiFi 6, Sóstenes Diaz González, IFT’s Commissioner, commented on the impact that making the 6 GHz band available for Wi-Fi would have on the country’s economy. He also pointed out that people are increasingly relying on wireless connectivity and that Wi-Fi plays a major role in providing access to the Internet.
Click here to access the Webinar’s recording.
To know more about Wi-Fi 6 and the Prospects and Opportunities it brings to Mexico, please contact Yamel Sarquis, our policy manager and moderator of the event, and Paula Rabacov, our Emerging Market’s Policy Analyst.
