Super-fast WiGig could be in future iPhone

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A WiGig iPhone might happen in 2020.
A WiGig iPhone might happen in 2020. This standard is fast but short range.
Photo: Wireless Gigabit Alliance/Cult of Mac

Apple appears to be planning to put WiGig in future iPhones. This a version of Wi-Fi that’s more than five times faster than 802.11ac.

An Intel Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modem has reportedly been turned down by Apple because it lacked WiGig. This certainly implies that the iPhone maker will go looking for a modem that does include this feature.

Intel had specifically created the “Sunny Peak” Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modem to be used in 2020 iPhone models, according to Israeli website CTech. However, Intel had problems implementing WiGig. As a result, Apple passed on the chip, and Intel has dropped plans to produce it.

A WiGig iPhone

WiGig is designed to offer data speeds at up to 7 Gbps. For comparison, 802.11ac is capable of 1300 Mbps.

The emerging standard, 802.11ad, uses 60GHz frequencies, and so offers just a few meters in range. It’s is designed  for high volume transfers over short distances.

It will be up to users of the 2020 iPhone to find a use for such a short-range networking method. It might be worth standing next to Wi-Fi hotspot in order to download a movie in one-fifth the time.

Intel and the 5G iPhone

A previous report indicated that Sunny Peak chips also included 5G support, but this was in error. This means Intel could still produce 5G modems for Apple.

Other possibilities are MediaTek and Apple itself. Qualcomm provides some of the 4G LTE chips for current iPhones, but Apple ands this company are locked in an ugly patent dispute.

No matter which company Apple chooses, it seems users of future iPhones will have both long-range and short-range options for very fast wireless networking.

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