Regulators voted to let fast Wi-Fi devices use a broad swath of airwaves, delivering a win for tech companies such as Google and Facebook and a setback to utilities that use the frequencies to control pipelines and electric grids. From a report: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission decided to let the airwaves band known as 6 gigahertz be used by phones, tablets, wearables and other consumer electronics as well as industrial sensors for manufacturing. The agency said it anticipates new, high-speed uses will emerge that will help secure U.S. leadership in advanced 5G services. The agency approved the change in a 5-0 vote during its monthly meeting, which was held online. “This will be a huge benefit to consumers and innovators,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The agency under his leadership has pushed to rearrange airwaves uses, finding places on the spectrum where assignments made years ago can be modified to accommodate the booming demand for mobile signals. Wi-Fi, which routes signals to wired networks, already carries the bulk of mobile-phone traffic. The newly available airwaves will expand frequencies available to Wi-Fi six-fold, and uses will expand substantially, said Edgar Figueroa, president of the Wi-Fi Alliance, with members including chipmakers Intel Corp. and Qualcomm.
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Source:: Slashdot