In October 2018, the Wi Fi Alliance officially incorporated WiFi based on the 802.11ax standard into the regular military, becoming the sixth generation Wi Fi technology. At the same time, the Wi Fi specifications were renamed, with standard 802.11n renamed Wi Fi 4, standard 802.11ac renamed Wi Fi 5, and the new standard 802.11ax renamed Wi Fi 6, bringing Wi Fi 6 into the public eye.

There is no doubt that 2019 is known as the "first year of Wi Fi 6", and some people say that chip manufacturers have already started a slot war around Wi Fi 6. As Wi Fi 6 is booming, what potential opportunities do Wi Fi manufacturers see? What challenges do we face at the same time? With these questions in mind, I interviewed Mr. Jeff Lin, Marketing Manager of Qorvo's Wireless Connectivity Business Unit in the Asia Pacific region.

Jeff Lin, Marketing Manager of Qorvo Asia Pacific Wireless Connectivity Business Unit

The same starting line, who comes firstWi-Fi 6Whoever produces the product wins

Wi Fi 6 is a completely new specification, and compared to Wi Fi 5, Wi Fi 6 has added many new technologies. Regarding the new market opportunities brought by Wi Fi 6, Jeff Lin stated in an interview that because Wi Fi 6 is different from Wi Fi 5, all Wi Fi chip suppliers and related supply chain manufacturers must develop new products based on the technical specifications of Wi Fi 6. At the same starting point, whoever can quickly launch Wi Fi 6 products can gain technical status. As early as more than two years ago when Wi Fi 6 was still in the early stage of standard setting, Qorvo had already conducted preliminary product specification development and technical exchanges with mainstream Wi Fi chip manufacturers such as Qualcomm and Broadcom, and after multiple improvements and design changes. The sentence is:.

At present, Qorvo has corresponding Front End Modules (FEM) with medium power and high power for Qualcomm and Broadcom's Wi Fi 6 solutions, which have been successfully introduced into their reference designs. With the help of chip manufacturers and service operators, Wi Fi 6 products have been gradually launched on the market since last year. From enterprise level wireless Wi Fi routers to household Wi Fi Access Points, mainstream specifications have gradually upgraded from Wi Fi 5 to Wi Fi 6. Jeff estimates that the Wi Fi 6 market will start to explode in 2020, and Wi Fi 6 will become the mainstream standard in the next five years.

The mainstream trend in the future is to achieve network coverage through distributed Wi Fi
In home networks, when surrounding users collectively access the internet, it is easy to encounter network congestion, so device manufacturers and operators are working hard to solve this problem. Qorvo has mentioned that the distributed Wi Fi brought by WiFi6 and the design of deploying one transmitter per room will be a new trend. Does this mean more demand for infrastructure?

Wi Fi 6 has clear definitions and specifications for the network architecture of Mesh or Distributed Wi Fi. In the concept of One Pod Per Room, Wi Fi transmission technology is responsible for the transmission backbone of the entire smart home, using mesh or distributed Wi Fi network architecture to achieve network coverage. All information is transmitted through Wi Fi to the home gateway, and then uploaded to the cloud through broadband services provided by the operator (LTE, xPoN, xDSL, DOCSIS, etc.). Through special algorithm calculations and communication protocols, a seamless connection and indoor roaming indoor full coverage environment are achieved.

Jeff Lin analyzed that in order to support interconnectivity with other smart devices, each Wi Fi router in a distributed Wi Fi network must have the transmission technology to receive and transmit Bluetooth and ZigBee. Since Bluetooth and ZigBee are both short-range transmission technologies, it is necessary to ensure that all instructions can be fully transmitted and received. Through the architecture of a distributed network, each Wi Fi router can fully cover every small area, and then use Wi Fi transmission as a backbone to connect each Wi Fi router to achieve the goal of home coverage.

Based on this architecture, in the usage scenario of smart homes, the number of Wi Fi APs will increase from single APs to multiple APs, and the RF components inside Wi Fi APs will also increase from Wi Fi Only to Wi Fi+BLE+Zigbee Multiple Radio Chips design. At present, network equipment developers and network service operators have started designing smart gateway devices that combine Wi Fi 6 and IoT IoT functions, and are expected to be officially launched on the market in 2020.

The Internet of Things equipped with Wi Fi 6 will usher in an explosive period
In the future, Wi Fi will be the transmission backbone of smart home networks. In order to implement the application of smart homes, Wi Fi must first achieve whole home coverage, and Mesh Wi Fi has achieved the goal of Wi Fi signal whole home coverage. In recent years, mainstream Wi Fi device manufacturers such as Google, Amazon, Netgear, EERO, Belkin, etc. have promoted Wi Fi Mesh and combined it with the actual application scenarios of IoT home smart IoT (especially Google Home and Amazon Echo), which has increased the market share of Wi Fi Mesh to nearly 10% in 2018. With the increasing popularity of Mesh APs, the demand for IoT related products has also increased. Equipment manufacturers such as smart cameras, smart light bulbs, smart sensors, etc. have also clearly felt the growth in demand. The long-term success in 2018 can be seen from the results.

Wi Fi 6 has a more complete plan and specification standards for Wi Fi Mesh Network, which brings great advantages in that various Wi Fi Mesh solution providers can interconnect with each other based on Wi Fi 6 standards, and there will be no compatibility issues that hinder the development and growth of the entire industry. We will expand the market in an equal and mutually beneficial environment, allowing the Internet of Things, which has been cultivated for many years, to ride the wave of Wi Fi 6 and look forward to explosive growth in 2020.

5G and Wi Fi 6 will support and cooperate with each other
The voice of the competition between 5G and Wi Fi 6 has never stopped. Some people believe that 5G will have more application scenarios in the future, including car networking, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, etc., but others see the development prospects of Wi Fi 6. In what form will Wi Fi 6 and 5G coexist?

Jeff analyzes from Qorvo's perspective that 5G and Wi Fi 6 are not in opposition to each other, but rather a mutually supportive and cooperative relationship. This is because 5G and Wi Fi have their own advantages and disadvantages in different environments and application scenarios. For example, the construction of 5G must be led by telecom operators, and there will be charging issues with frequency band usage. Therefore, the overall operating cost will be much higher than that of Wi Fi, Wi Fi itself uses free open frequency bands and has a complete industrial supply chain and product coverage. In places and application scenarios where Wi Fi network coverage is available, such as home networks, public areas (airports, stations, sports centers, etc.), and specific locations (campuses, hotels, sales venues, etc.), Wi Fi is a relatively economical choice. In areas where Wi Fi cannot cover, such as rural areas, mountainous areas, islands, and other areas with low population density and weak network infrastructure, 5G networks are needed to support it.

At present, many solution providers and telecom network service operators are investing a lot of time and money in the development of 5G. However, due to the large scale of 5G itself, the specification formulation from the beginning is subject to many policy restrictions (such as frequency band allocation), coupled with political struggles between countries (such as the recent high-profile Huawei case and the US China trade war, etc.), it cannot be denied that 5G faces many challenges.

On the other hand, Wi Fi can be said to be a wireless network technology that welcomes multiple users and has high product coverage. Most of the key technologies are led by Wi Fi chip providers and RF solution manufacturers, so it is much easier to introduce and deploy new technologies than 5G. Therefore, I believe that the product maturity and specification completeness of Wi Fi 6 will be faster and more robust than 5G.

As a radio frequency component, Qorvo maintains an optimistic and cautious attitude towards the development of 5G and Wi Fi 6. From actively participating in the initial specification formulation to collaborating with solution providers for subsequent development, and then completing product mass production, testing, and deployment with terminal equipment manufacturers, Qorvo has actively participated and closely cooperated with developers through technical support. This has enabled terminal equipment manufacturers to officially launch commercial products related to 5G and Wi Fi 6 in 2018, surpassing their peers in the industry.

Wi Fi 6 products have been certified and entered the mass production stage

At present, the market generally believes that the popularization of WiFi6 may take another 3 years. Due to price reasons, WiFi6 is applied in the enterprise market. What progress has Qorvo made in this market? Does WiFi6's enterprise level product have any different technical requirements for RF devices compared to the past in communication with customers?

Jeff admitted in an interview that you may not know that the * enterprise level Wi Fi 6 wireless router contains Qorvo's 5GHz front-end RF module chip. Qorvo began to participate in the design and development of mainstream Wi Fi wireless solution chip vendors in the early stages of Wi Fi 6 specification formulation. After more than two years of effort, enterprise level network equipment manufacturers have successively launched commercial products since last year, such as H3C, NEC, Rucks, EnGenius, HPE, etc. These products all have built-in Qorvo Wi Fi 6 front-end RF module chips (Front End Module) or filters. This not only indicates Qorvo's expertise in Wi Fi 6 technology, but also proves Qorvo's capabilities in Wi Fi 6 technology. The solutions and products related to Wi Fi 6 have entered the mass production stage.

Regarding the development of Wi Fi 6 in the consumer market, Jeff stated that looking back at the evolution of Wi Fi, MIMO (Multi Input Multi Output) upgrades Wi Fi design from basic 1T1R (one transmission one receive) to 4T4R, and even some network equipment manufacturers have launched 8T8RWi Fi wireless routers. The cost of front-end RF devices in the entire Wi Fi router will be affected by the number of transmitting and receiving ends (Spatial or Stream number) and the different transmission powers (High Power, Medium Power, Nominal Power). If the system is 2T2R, the proportion of low-power front-end RF modules (Front End Modules) in the entire system is about 3% -5%. If there is a demand for high transmission power and it is a 4T4R or 8T8R or Tri Band system, then... The cost of front-end RF devices and related filters accounts for approximately 5% -7% or more of the overall cost.

The Qorvo Wi Fi 6 front-end RF products have been certified by mainstream Wi Fi wireless network solution chip manufacturers such as Qualcomm, Broadcom, Intel, and Kuantengda and included in their reference designs. With the assistance of reference designs, product developers can shorten product development time and simplify product verification work, accelerate the commercialization and shipment of Wi Fi 6, and reduce overall system costs. At the same time, Qorvo also participates in new network applications and architectures with network product developers and network service providers, further combining the concept and practical application scenarios of smart IoT. Qorvo is not only a supplier of RF components, but also a system provider integrating wireless communication and IoT solutions.

From prototype to mass production, obtaining certification is a necessary and complex process for a product. The certification standard for WiFi6 devices will only be launched in Q3 of this year. The question facing users is whether the RF components used in current router products on the market are standard components or require partially customized components? If it is the latter, how can Qorvo determine low-risk product development and supply strategies before the certification standards are officially announced?

Jeff explained to non online journalists that it had been mentioned earlier that over 2 years ago, when Wi Fi 6 was still in the early stages of standard development, Qorvo has already collaborated with mainstream Wi Fi chip manufacturers Qualcomm and Broadcom to develop preliminary product specifications. Therefore, Qorvo has launched corresponding front-end RF devices for Qualcomm and Broadcom's Wi Fi 6 reference design platform and has entered the mass production stage. As Qualcomm and Broadcom are leading solution providers for Wi Fi 6, other Wi Fi chip manufacturers also follow suit with Qualcomm and Broadcom's design of Wi Fi 6 front-end RF chip specifications. In addition to Qualcomm and Broadcom, Qorvo also provides Wi Fi front-end RF chips to Quantenna and Intel, and compares them with Qualcomm and Broadcom. The Wi Fi 6 reference design platform has been imported into the communication mode and samples have been provided to end customers for preliminary development and product validation.

Differentiated definition of Wi Fi product classification
With the market promotion of WiFi6 routers and smart terminal devices, what targeted product lines does Qorvo have for enterprise customers and consumer markets? What technological breakthroughs is Qorvo currently undertaking in response to the differentiated demands of these two markets?

Jeff explained that in Qorvo's product positioning strategy, Wi Fi is divided into three different categories: "Retail," "Carrier&Service Provider," and "Enterprise." The specifications and designs of these three different product categories and applications also vary.

Qorvo's product line is diverse, with corresponding solutions for any application:

Qorvo's Front End Module (FEM) with Middle Power and High Power provides a cost-effective front-end solution for home retail and operator Wi Fi systems. With its low power consumption, it synchronously reduces the difficulty and cost of heat dissipation design for Wi Fi systems.

For enterprise level and telecom operator Wi Fi design specifications and application scenarios, Qorvo's front-end RF module offers a choice of 5V to 3.3V voltage. In addition to the front-end RF module, Qorvo also provides sideband filters and LTE Co existence filters for different Territory Regulations, which can be used in conjunction with FEM. In addition, Qorvo has also created a product line called iFEM (Integrated FEM), which integrates the previously mentioned Bandedge or LTE Co existence filters into the front-end RF module of Wi Fi, simplifying the design of wireless RF front-end. At the same time, it reduces the cost of components and the time required for circuit matching and calibration.