Katarzyna Petru
MediaTek has revealed in its latest whitepaper that the upcoming Wi-Fi 8 standard will focus primarily on connection reliability, rather than record speeds. The new technology is set to debut only by the end of 2027, replacing the current Wi-Fi 7, which is just starting to hit the market.
Ultra High Reliability instead of Extremely High Throughput
The company plans to commercialise Wi-Fi 8 under the slogan "Ultra High Reliability" – in contrast to the current standard Wi-Fi 7, which is referred to as "Extremely High Throughput". In practice, this means an emphasis on stable connections, lower latency, and greater range, not just an increase in throughput. It also involves the implementation of mmWave technology, which in theory could raise Wi-Fi throughput to as much as 100 Gb/s.
Single Mobility Domains – seamless switching between points
One of the key improvements will be Single Mobility Domains, which allows movement between multiple access points without even a second's interruption in connection. This solution could become standard in large offices, at airports, or in hospitals. It will also enhance performance at the edge of coverage, where current networks often lose signal.
Better streaming, VR and wireless set-top boxes
Wi-Fi 8 is set to provide better video streaming quality, smoother cloud gaming (Xbox Cloud, GeForce Now), and seamless VR content delivery to devices like Apple Vision Pro. The new standard may also enable set-top boxes and other video devices to operate completely without HDMI cables.
Energy savings and possible changes in plans
MediaTek emphasises that an important goal will also be reducing energy consumption by Wi-Fi devices. However, it should be noted that the specification is not yet final – some of the announced features may be dropped from the plans, while others may emerge. Also at play is 'coordinated Multi-AP' – a protocol that allows routers in the same mesh network to coordinate data transmission, improving performance in homes and offices with many devices.
