A new band with non-negotiable rules
For two decades Wi-Fi shared the crowded 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax extended into 6 GHz) adds up to 1200 MHz of brand-new spectrum — 59 fresh 20 MHz channels including seven non-overlapping 160 MHz channels for the first time. Those full figures are the US/FCC allocation; the EU, UK and much of the world opened only the lower ~500 MHz (5.925–6.425 GHz), about 24 channels. The capacity is transformative; the conditions attached to it are the point of this chapter.
On 6 GHz, security is not a setting. WPA3 and Management Frame Protection are mandatory, transition modes that allow legacy fallbacks are forbidden, and open networks must run OWE. Discovery changes too — Preferred Scanning Channels keep a full band scan from taking several seconds — and standard-power deployments (indoor or outdoor) must consult an Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) database to protect incumbent users of the spectrum.