The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) hailed the completion of an IoT trial in the challenging environment of an aerospace factory as a key step in the development of use cases for the next generation of Wi-Fi technology.

In a statement, the WBA said the trial of Wi-Fi 6 was completed at the 27-acre Mettis Aerospace factory in the UK, which produces components for Airbus, Boeing and Rolls-Royce. During the trial, download speeds of 700Mb/s were recorded using 80MHz channels, with latency of less than 6 milliseconds.

Trials included 4K video streaming; the transfer of large files; messaging, voice and video communications; and “the first stage of IoT sensor and mixed reality testing”.

The WBA partnered with Broadcom, Cisco, iBwave, Intel, Concurrent Engineering and Keysight on the trials.

WBA CEO Tiago Rodrigues said the trial was a “significant milestone” for Wi-Fi 6 development. “The Mettis facility is an especially challenging environment for wireless communications with furnaces, presses and heat, a lot of moving heavy machinery and the presence of dust and in-air particulates.”

He added the tests proved Wi-Fi 6 “works well and can play a vital role within the industrial enterprise and IoT ecosystem”, with WBA adding the technology would play a key role in the broader 5G ecosystem.

Future test phases will expand on areas including mixed reality and monitoring of key assets.

Operators, vendors and businesses quizzed by WBA showed strong support for Wi-Fi 6, with many planning to switch to the technology in 2020.