Key benefits from new and enhanced IEEE 802.11be features

lEEE802.11be also has an eye towards future compatibility. lEEE802.11 PHY always considers backward compatibility with legacy lEEE802.11 generations, but lEEE802.11be introduces forward compatibility concepts. For example, lEEE802.11be includes a new preamble field called the universal SlG (U-SlG) that will be used in lEEE802.11be and all future lEEE802.11 generations as well as more precise terms and rules for reserved bits.

The lEEE802.11be MAC layer introduces significant changes and new features such as multilink operation, multi-AP support, restricted target wake time (TWT) and 1024-bit block acknowledgement (1K BA) to meet the targeted low latency applications.
The following table provides an overview of new and enhanced lEEE802.11be features and their benefits compared to lEEE802.11ax.

Feature	Support in IEEE 802.11ax	Support in IEEE 802.11be	Benefit
Bandwidth	20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 80+80 MHz and 160 MHz channels	adds 320 MHz and support noncontiguous bandwidth such as 80+80 MHz	increased data rate and lower complexity
Modulation	BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM, 1024QAM	adds 4096QAM option	increased throughput
Resource­units	single resource unit (RU) per user	adds support for multiple RU (MRU) assignments to a single user and modifies the RU allocation plan for bandwidth ≥ 80 MHz	efficient spectrum utilization and more scheduling flexibility
MU-MIMO	UL and DL supported with up to 8 spatial streams (SS), 4 users with 1 or 2 SS	up to 16 spatial streams and an enhanced sounding protocol (MAC)	increased throughput
Compatibility	supports backward compatibility in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band	enhanced preamble that adds a universal SIG field to indicate the PHY version	easier/better coexistence with future Wi-Fi generations
6 GHz ­band support	yes	yes	availability of more spectrum and afew 320 MHz channels
Preamble puncturing	yes	slight modifications to some spectral emission masks when puncturing is used	efficient spectrum utilization, better coexistence with other users in the band
Multilink operation	no	new to IEEE802.11be	improved spectral efficiency, load balancing, higher data throughput, lower latency
Restricted target ­wake time ­(TWT)	no	new to IEEE802.11be	enables dedicated service period for low latency traffic
1K block ack (BA)	yes	IEEE802.11be extends the nego tiated block ack buffer size to 1024 bits	more efficient MAC data unit aggre gation and better support for MLO