6GHz.ca🍁

Canada's 6GHz framework, established by ISED's May 2021 decision (SMSE-006-21), opened the full 5925–7125 MHz band (1200 MHz) for licence-exempt use — the first country in the world to do so. Three device classes are permitted:

• Standard-power (5925–6875 MHz): up to 36 dBm e.i.r.p., indoor and outdoor, requires AFC system control.
• Low-power indoor (LPI) (5925–7125 MHz): up to 30 dBm e.i.r.p., indoor-only, contention-based protocol (listen-before-talk).
• Very low-power (VLP) (5925–7125 MHz): up to 14 dBm e.i.r.p., indoor and outdoor, contention-based protocol.

LPI and VLP devices — covering most consumer Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 hardware — have been available since late 2021 and operate without AFC. Standard-power operation (higher power, outdoor capable) requires a designated AFC System Administrator (AFCSA). Canada currently has four designated AFCSAs, with more approved in the US. ISED maintains a current list on its Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) website.

The 5925–7125 MHz range had long been occupied by licensed incumbents: fixed microwave backhaul links, fixed-satellite service (FSS) uplinks, broadcast auxiliary services, and electrical utility systems. Opening it to unlicensed use required a coexistence framework to protect those incumbents.

This 1979 publication describes the incumbents of the 5925-6425 MHz and 6425-7250 MHz bands. It states: "This band is lightly used in Canada." The picture remained relatively unchanged even in the 2010s when Peter Ecclesine, Richard Kennedy and other inventors of IEEE 802.11af identified the band for future Wi-Fi use. Their decades of work on database supported spectrum sharing initially targeted unused TV Channels, but broadcast TV was mostly gutted in 2009 with the sunset of NTSC and some of that spectrum sold to licensed 4G cellular use. In the 6 GHz band, licensed incumbents (primary users) continue to be few and far between while unlicensed (secondary) use has exploded in recent years.

The FCC moved first, approving unlicensed use of the lower 5925–6425 MHz portion in April 2020, enabling Wi-Fi 6E in the United States. Canada's ISED followed with a public consultation in December 2020 (SMSE-014-20) covering the full band. After reviewing consultation submissions, ISED published its final decision in May 2021, opening all 1200 MHz — more spectrum than the US, and the broadest release of any country at the time. The US and many other countries have since opened up these 1200 MHz.

The device certification standard, RSS-248, was published in November 2021, defining the technical requirements for all three device classes. In the US, the FCC approved seven AFC implementations in early 2024 (Qualcomm, Broadcom, Comsearch, Federated Wireless, Sony, the Wi-Fi Alliance, and the Wireless Broadband Alliance). Canada approved Qualcomm as its first AFCSA, with other applicants — including the Wi-Fi Alliance, Federated Wireless, and CommScope — in process.

Canada's 6 GHz regulatory framework developed through a series of ISED consultations, each tracked by the Radio Advisory Board of Canada, which invited industry submissions and coordinated stakeholder responses to ISED.

SMSE-014-20 (RABC) — Policy consultation (December 2020)

ISED's foundational consultation on opening the 5925–7125 MHz band to licence-exempt use, published December 2020. It proposed three device classes (standard-power, low-power indoor, and very low-power), an AFC requirement for standard-power devices, and the coexistence framework for protecting licensed incumbents. The Radio Advisory Board of Canada coordinated industry submissions in response. ISED published its final decision — SMSE-006-21 — in May 2021, opening the full 1200 MHz band.

RSS-248, Issue 1 (RABC) — LPI device certification (draft June 2021, final November 2021)

The first issue of RSS-248 established certification requirements for low-power indoor (LPI) RLAN devices operating across the full 5925–7125 MHz band. LPI devices are limited to 30 dBm e.i.r.p., restricted to indoor use only, and must use a contention-based protocol (listen-before-talk). This was the standard that enabled consumer Wi-Fi 6E hardware to enter the Canadian market in late 2021.

RSS-248, Issue 2 (RABC) — Standard-power device certification (draft May 2022, final December 2022)

Issue 2 extended RSS-248 to cover standard-power RLAN devices operating in the 5925–6875 MHz sub-band. These devices may operate at up to 36 dBm e.i.r.p. and are permitted outdoors, but must register with a designated AFC System Administrator before transmitting. This issue aligned RSS-248 with the AFC system specifications published in DBS-06, and provided the certification pathway for higher-power fixed and nomadic 6 GHz equipment.

RSS-248, Issue 3 (RABC) — Very low-power device certification (draft June 2024, final October 2024)

Issue 3 introduced the very low-power (VLP) device class, capped at 14 dBm e.i.r.p. VLP devices may operate both indoors and outdoors across the full 5925–7125 MHz band using a contention-based protocol, without AFC. This class was designed for short-range applications such as wearables, IoT sensors, and vehicular use cases. The draft closed for comments in September 2024 and the final standard was published October 11, 2024.

An Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) system is a database-driven service that calculates, for each registered standard-power device, which frequencies are available and at what maximum power level — without causing harmful interference to licensed incumbents. ISED's technical specification, DBS-06, defines what AFC systems operating in Canada must do.

Before a standard-power device can transmit, it must register with an AFCSA and provide its geographic coordinates, location uncertainty, antenna height, and IC ID. The AFC system then calculates exclusion zones around licensed fixed service stations and radio astronomy observatories, using a tiered propagation model: free-space path loss up to 30 m, WINNER II from 30 m to 1 km, and the Irregular Terrain Model (ITM) beyond 1 km. The interference criterion is an I/N ratio of −6 dB.

AFC systems must synchronize with ISED's Spectrum Management System (SMS) database at least every 24 hours to stay current with incumbent licensee data. They must also enforce the 125 mW maximum above a 30° elevation angle to protect satellite earth stations, and apply identical protections to US incumbents near the border.

On the implementation side, the Open AFC project (operated by the Telecom Infra Project) is an open-source (3-Clause BSD) AFC server implementation adopted by the Wi-Fi Alliance, the Wireless Broadband Alliance, and Broadcom for their FCC-approved services. Its source code implements the WinnForum functional requirements (TS-1014) that underpin both FCC and ISED AFC specifications. The system uses a containerized microservices architecture (Docker/Kubernetes) and draws on several geospatial and regulatory datasets: terrain elevation (3DEP, SRTM), landcover, ITU propagation parameters, and the incumbent licensee database. Both proprietary implementations (e.g. Qualcomm, Comsearch) and this open-source approach are in production today.

Canada currently has four ISED-designated AFC System Administrators (AFCSAs), compared to nine approved by the FCC in the United States. Qualcomm's August 2023 designation made Canada the first country in the world to authorize a commercial AFC operator, but the US approved seven operators simultaneously in February 2024 and has since added two more.

Designated AFCSAs in Canada (source: ISED DSA list):

• Qualcomm Canada ULC — designated August 2023. Commercial; a subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc. AFC service supports Qualcomm's chipset ecosystem.
• Wi-Fi Alliance Services Corporation — designated February 2025. A for-profit subsidiary created by the non-profit Wi-Fi Alliance specifically to operate AFC services. Uses the open-source Open AFC implementation.
• Outdoor Wireless Networks LLC (Comsearch) — designated March 2025. Commercial spectrum coordination firm, a subsidiary of CommScope with a long history in frequency coordination services.
• Federated Wireless, Inc. — designated May 2025. Commercial spectrum management company that began with CBRS (3.5 GHz) before expanding to 6 GHz.

Approved in the US but not yet in Canada: Broadcom, Sony Group Corporation, Wireless Broadband Alliance, C3Spectra, and AXON Networks.

Business models across operators vary: Qualcomm and Broadcom are semiconductor manufacturers operating AFC primarily to support their own chipset customers. Federated Wireless and Comsearch are independent spectrum management service providers. Wi-Fi Alliance Services and the Wireless Broadband Alliance are industry consortium structures — though Wi-Fi Alliance Services is a for-profit subsidiary of a non-profit entity. C3Spectra and AXON Networks are smaller commercial entrants (startups offering software defined networking for ISPs).

Notably, up to this point in time no purely public-interest or non-profit AFC operator has been designated in either country. The commercial and consortium models that emerged are the ones that pursued regulatory approval. This may be a gap in the landscape, preventing Canadian citizens from the full benefit of the 6GHz spectrum.

IEEE 802.11 is the base standard for wireless local area networks. It evolves through amendments — each identified by a letter suffix — that add new PHY and MAC capabilities. Three amendments are central to 6 GHz operation: 802.11ax (the first to define 6 GHz use), 802.11be (the current generation), and 802.11bn (in development).

IEEE 802.11ax — the first 6 GHz amendment

802.11ax was ratified in February 2021 and is the amendment that first defined operation in the 6 GHz band (5925–7125 MHz). Prior amendments operated exclusively in 2.4 and 5 GHz. The core technology of 802.11ax is Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), which allows an access point to serve multiple clients simultaneously within a single transmission opportunity by subdividing channels into resource units (RUs). Other key features:

• BSS Colouring: a mechanism to reduce co-channel interference in dense deployments by tagging frames with a Basic Service Set colour identifier, allowing devices to ignore transmissions from spatially separated networks on the same channel.
• Target Wake Time (TWT): allows an access point to schedule when client devices wake up to send or receive data, significantly reducing power consumption — particularly relevant for IoT devices.
• 1024-QAM: higher-order modulation compared to 256-QAM in 802.11ac, increasing peak throughput by ~25% under strong signal conditions.
• Up to 160 MHz channels: supported in both 5 and 6 GHz; more practically available in 6 GHz due to lower incumbency pressure. Canada's full 1200 MHz release allows seven non-overlapping 160 MHz channels. (Channel numbers: 15, 47, 79, 111, 143, 175, 207)

802.11ax mandates WPA3 security for operation in the 6 GHz band, whereas WPA3 continues to be treated as optional in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

IEEE 802.11be — Extremely High Throughput

802.11be was ratified in May 2024. It retains all 802.11ax capabilities and adds several major features, most of which are most practically realized in the 6 GHz band:

• 320 MHz channels: doubles the maximum channel width from 802.11ax. Only feasible in 6 GHz; Canada's full 1200 MHz release accommodates three non-overlapping 320 MHz channels. (Channel numbers: 31, 95, 159)
• Multi-Link Operation (MLO): the defining feature of 802.11be. Allows a device to simultaneously transmit and receive on multiple bands and channels (e.g., 5 GHz and 6 GHz at the same time), improving throughput and reducing latency by aggregating links or load-balancing across them.
• 4096-QAM: increases peak spectral efficiency further, though practical gains require very high SNR and short ranges.
• Multi-RU: allows a single client to be assigned multiple non-contiguous resource units in OFDMA transmissions, improving efficiency in mixed client environments.

802.11be is backward compatible with 802.11ax and earlier amendments. An 802.11be access point can serve 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, and older clients concurrently.

IEEE 802.11bn — Ultra High Reliability

The 802.11bn task group (TGbn) was formed in 2022 and is targeting ratification around 2028. The amendment's design goal is reliability and latency reduction in dense, heterogeneous environments — specifically multi-AP coordination scenarios where neighbouring access points collaborate rather than contend. Key directions under development include:

• Coordinated spatial reuse: neighbouring access points share state to allow simultaneous transmissions that would otherwise defer to each other under standard CSMA/CA.
• Multi-AP coordination: extends MLO concepts across access point infrastructure, allowing coordinated beamforming, joint scheduling, and interference nulling across an enterprise or campus deployment.
• Enhanced determinism: improvements to time sensitive networking (TSN) support, targeting industrial and real-time applications.

The 6 GHz band is expected to remain central to 802.11bn deployments given its wider channels and lower incumbent density relative to 5 GHz.

The Wi-Fi Alliance runs interoperability certification programs that test devices against its defined feature sets. For 6 GHz, three generations of certification are relevant, along with a separate program for standard-power (AFC-capable) devices.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6E — launched April 2021, coinciding with the FCC's opening of the lower 6 GHz band in the US and Canada's SMSE-006-21 decision. Certification requires WPA3 security (mandatory, not optional), support for at least one 6 GHz channel, and passing the Wi-Fi Alliance's interoperability test suite. Devices may also support 2.4 and 5 GHz, but 6 GHz capability is the defining requirement. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6E applies to both access points and client devices (that the standard calls STAs for station).

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 — launched January 2024. Covers IEEE 802.11be and mandates Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which allows devices to simultaneously transmit and receive across multiple bands (2.4, 5, and 6 GHz). Other required features include 4096-QAM modulation, multi-resource unit (RU) allocation for improved OFDMA efficiency, and support for 320 MHz channels in the 6 GHz band. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 subsumes and extends Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6E. Note that not all "certified Wi-Fi 7" devices support 6 GHz, make sure to check that it supports "tri-band". As of 2026, most (over 75%) of Wi-Fi 7 devices do support 6 GHz, but there are some low power IoT, or low cost devices that do not.

Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) — the IEEE 802.11bn amendment is currently in development, targeting ratification around 2028. No Wi-Fi Alliance certification program exists yet. Planned features include coordinated spatial reuse, multi-AP coordination, and further latency improvements. The 6 GHz band will remain central to Wi-Fi 8, particularly for its wider channel and cleaner spectrum.

Standard-power / AFC certification — the Wi-Fi Alliance maintains a certification track for AFC-capable devices operating at standard power. This tests that a device correctly implements the AFC protocol: registering with a designated AFC System Administrator, querying available frequencies and maximum power levels, and honouring the response before transmitting. The Wi-Fi Alliance's own AFC service (operated through its for-profit subsidiary, Wi-Fi Alliance Services Corporation) is one of the designated providers that certified devices can register with, in both the US and Canada.

Certification is voluntary but broadly adopted by manufacturers as a market signal of interoperability. Products carrying a Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo have passed the Wi-Fi Alliance's test suite; uncertified products may still comply with regulatory technical standards (RSS-248 in Canada, FCC Part 15 in the US) but have not been tested for interoperability. ISED-certified 6 GHz devices can be found in Canada's Radio Equipment List by selecting RSS-248 under Advanced Search.

The 6 GHz regulatory landscape continues to evolve, with the FCC and other regulators exploring new device classes and operating models beyond the three already established in Canada (LPI, VLP, and standard-power).

Geofenced Variable Power (GVP) — FCC, January 2026

In January 2026, the FCC adopted a Fourth Report and Order creating a new GVP device class for unlicensed operation in the 6 GHz band. GVP devices are permitted to operate both indoors and outdoors at up to 24 dBm EIRP (11 dBm/MHz PSD) — higher than VLP (14 dBm EIRP) but lower than standard-power (36 dBm EIRP) — in the U-NII-5 (5925–6425 MHz) and U-NII-7 (6525–6875 MHz) sub-bands.

Rather than querying an AFC system database before each transmission, GVP devices use continuous geolocation awareness to enforce software-defined exclusion zones around licensed incumbent fixed-service links. Within an exclusion zone, a GVP device must reduce power or vacate the frequency; outside exclusion zones, it may operate at full power without an explicit AFC query. The FCC indicated that existing AFC infrastructure may be extended to support GVP, and Federated Wireless — one of Canada's four designated AFCSAs — announced in March 2026 that it will extend its AFC platform to support GVP devices following FCC approval.

The GVP class is intended to enable longer-range outdoor Wi-Fi, augmented and virtual reality devices, and IoT deployments that require more range than VLP allows but do not need the full standard-power operating envelope.

Canada's position on GVP

As of May 2026, ISED has made no announcement regarding a GVP device class or equivalent framework for Canada. Canada's existing framework under RSS-248 covers LPI, VLP, and standard-power devices only. Given that Canada has historically harmonized its 6 GHz rules closely with the FCC — and that Federated Wireless is already a designated AFCSA in Canada — a corresponding ISED consultation would be a natural next step, but none has been published. The absence of a GVP framework in Canada means that devices certified under the FCC's new GVP rules cannot legally operate under those parameters in Canada until ISED acts. Stay tuned to your favourite 6GHz website and call your MP or radio advisory board to let them know you want more 6GHz for the people.

Licence-exempt spectrum — where devices can operate without obtaining an individual frequency licence — has been the foundation of Wi-Fi since the 2.4 GHz ISM band was opened in the mid 1980s (Thanks to Michael Marcus of the FCC). Canada opened the ISM bands for spread spectrum communication shortly after the FCC in an effort to harmonize regulations. The exact date of this is nowhere to be found online as the predecessor to RSS-210 versions earlier than 2007 are not online. The license-exempt bands and Wi-Fi in particular have long carried the majority of mobile data traffic.

Unlike licensed spectrum, which is assigned to specific operators and may sit underutilized, licence-exempt bands are available to any conforming device. This lowers barriers to innovation and deployment, particularly for rural and remote communities that may not be served by licensed wireless operators. The 6GHz band's 1200 MHz of contiguous spectrum enables wider channels (up to 320 MHz with Wi-Fi 7) and higher throughput than the congested 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.

Canada's decision to release the full 6GHz band — rather than a partial release as in the US or the delayed approach taken by much of Europe — reflects a policy choice to prioritize broadband access and spectrum efficiency through shared, unlicensed use alongside incumbent protection mechanisms like AFC.