EN 303 687: Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 in the 6 GHz band
News · Radio standards
EN 303 687, the European harmonised standard covering Wi-Fi equipment operating in the 6 GHz band (5945-6425 MHz), was cited in the Official Journal of the European Union in May 2025, with restrictions. Its current version V1.1.1 already covers the Wi-Fi 7 channel widths up to 320 MHz, and ETSI has opened revision work on the standard. The regulatory frame keeps the same two operating modes: Low Power Indoor and Very Low Power. For manufacturers, the gap with the FCC framework is confirmed: no outdoor Standard Power in Europe at this stage.
The 6 GHz band scope in Europe
Section titled “The 6 GHz band scope in Europe”Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1067 opened the 5945-6425 MHz band, 480 MHz of spectrum, to unlicensed Wi-Fi use, complementing the legacy 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The opening flows from CEPT ECC Decision (20)01 and applies across all EU Member States.
That is half as wide as what the FCC has allocated in the United States (5925-7125 MHz, 1200 MHz). The direct consequence: in Europe, the number of fully usable 320 MHz channels for Wi-Fi 7 is limited to a single one, against three in the United States.
On the RED side, the Wi-Fi harmonised-standard landscape now reads as follows:
| Standard | Band | Use |
|---|---|---|
| EN 300 328 | 2.4 GHz | Wi-Fi 4/6, Bluetooth |
| EN 301 893 | 5 GHz | Wi-Fi 5/6/6E 5 GHz portion |
| EN 303 687 | 6 GHz | Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 6 GHz portion |
A typical tri-band Wi-Fi 6E/7 product therefore needs to demonstrate compliance against all three standards, each with its own radio tests and channel-access mechanism.
Only two operating modes
Section titled “Only two operating modes”For the European 6 GHz band, EN 303 687 defines two emission regimes, without any spectrum coordination mechanism (such as AFC, Automated Frequency Coordination) at this stage.
Low Power Indoor (LPI)
Section titled “Low Power Indoor (LPI)”- Maximum EIRP: 23 dBm (200 mW)
- Spectral density: 10 dBm/MHz
- Use: indoor only, including inside trains with metal-coated windows and inside aircraft
- Additional restrictions: outdoor use, including in road vehicles, is prohibited; an LPI access point must have an integrated antenna and must not be battery powered
This is the mode used by virtually all consumer Wi-Fi 6E access points and home tri-band routers. The 23 dBm cap remains comfortable for covering a dwelling or a small business space.
Very Low Power (VLP)
Section titled “Very Low Power (VLP)”- Maximum EIRP: 14 dBm (25 mW)
- Spectral density: 1 dBm/MHz
- Use: portable, indoor or outdoor; use on unmanned aircraft systems (drones) is prohibited
- Product targets: AR/VR headsets, wearables, smartphones, tablets, earbuds
VLP allows outdoor use, but at a very reduced power level calibrated for short-range bubbles a few metres around the user. It is the regime by which a mixed-reality headset or a phone can activate its 6 GHz channels without depending on an indoor access point.
Where the standard stands
Section titled “Where the standard stands”The applicable version is EN 303 687 V1.1.1, published by ETSI in June 2023. It already covers channel bandwidths of 20, 40, 80, 160 and 320 MHz, so the widest Wi-Fi 7 channel is testable under the current text. The power limits are not set by the standard: they are fixed by European Decision 2021/1067 and the corresponding CEPT decision.
The reference of EN 303 687 V1.1.1 was added to the RED harmonised standards list (Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2191) by Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/893 of 14 May 2025, with two restriction notices:
- Narrowband devices: the standard does not sufficiently address narrowband devices as defined in its clause 3.1, so it confers no presumption of conformity for those devices.
- Clause B.7.2: this test option relies on a non-disclosed IEEE specification; where it is applied, the standard confers no presumption of conformity with article 3.2 of the RED.
ETSI TC BRAN has since opened work on a revision of the standard. Until that revision is published and cited, a Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 product is assessed against V1.1.1, taking the two notices above into account in the test plan.
The divergence from the United States
Section titled “The divergence from the United States”This is the structuring point for product teams targeting both markets: in its U-NII-5/-7 part (47 CFR Part 15.407), the FCC authorises a third regime that is entirely absent from the European framework, Standard Power.
| Regime | US max EIRP | EU max EIRP | Coordination | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Power Indoor (LPI) | 30 dBm | 23 dBm | None | Indoor |
| Very Low Power (VLP) | 14 dBm | 14 dBm | None | Portable, indoor or outdoor |
| Standard Power | 36 dBm | not authorised | AFC required | Outdoor fixed, industrial |
In the United States, Standard Power allows outdoor Wi-Fi 6E/7 use up to 4 W EIRP, conditional on automated coordination through an AFC service which queries a frequency database to avoid interfering with incumbent services (fixed microwave links, satellite uplinks). The mechanism has been operational with the FCC since 2024.
Europe has not authorised Standard Power in Decision 2021/1067, and EN 303 687 therefore does not define an associated test method. On the upper band, the European Commission mandated the CEPT in December 2024 to study the shared use of 6425-7125 MHz, with the final CEPT report expected in July 2027; the EU position also depends on the outcome of WRC-27. No opening is expected before 2027-2028 in optimistic scenarios.
Practical consequences
Section titled “Practical consequences”For a Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 product targeting both EU and US markets:
- An outdoor access point cannot use the 6 GHz band in Europe, it will need to stay on 2.4 and 5 GHz, or fall back to licensed technology (microwave link, cellular) for longer-range deployments.
- An indoor access point works identically in LPI on both markets, but the maximum authorised power differs (23 vs 30 dBm): hence the value of firmware that can switch based on the country code.
- A portable device (smartphone, XR headset, smart glasses) operates in VLP across both markets at the same 14 dBm cap, the simplest regime to deploy without regionalisation.
- Country-code handling in firmware (based on the surrounding SSIDs, GPS or factory provisioning) becomes unavoidable as soon as a product travels between regions.
Implications for the technical file
Section titled “Implications for the technical file”For the RED declaration of conformity of a Wi-Fi 6E/7 product targeting the EU, the file must include:
- Radio test report to EN 303 687 for the 6 GHz portion, with LPI and VLP configurations tested according to the product's capabilities.
- EN 300 328 and EN 301 893 reports for the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands if the product is tri-band.
- Geographic-lock demonstration, how the firmware technically prevents 6 GHz operation in a non-authorised mode on a given territory.
- User documentation clearly stating the indoor restriction for LPI mode.
- Cybersecurity 3.3 compliance since 1 August 2025, a connected Wi-Fi product falls within the mandatory scope of the EN 18031 requirements.
The cost of a full campaign for a tri-band Wi-Fi 6E/7 product typically falls between EUR 25,000 and 45,000 for the radio tests alone (excluding EMC and cybersecurity), driven by the number of configurations to be tested.
Key takeaways
Section titled “Key takeaways”- EN 303 687 remains the only harmonised standard applicable to Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 products in the 6 GHz band in Europe.
- Europe does not recognise the outdoor Standard Power mode at this stage, an outdoor Wi-Fi 6E access point is effectively impossible in the EU.
- LPI and VLP are the only two authorised regimes; the US AFC mode has no European equivalent.
- Version V1.1.1 is cited in the OJEU since 14 May 2025 with two restriction notices (narrowband devices, clause B.7.2); an ETSI revision is under way.
- A dual-market product strategy requires regionalised firmware and a test file for each jurisdiction.
Going further
Section titled “Going further”- RED harmonised standards: full table of applicable references
- Required RED tests: breakdown of tests by article 3.1 to 3.3
- CE vs FCC EMC: comparison of the European and US frameworks
Sources & references
- EN 303 687: Broadband Radio Access Networks (BRAN) 6 GHz , ETSI www.etsi.org/standards
- Decision (EU) 2021/1067: 6 GHz Wi-Fi band , EUR-Lex eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2021/1067/oj
- Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/893, RED harmonised standards , EUR-Lex eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/893/oj
- CEPT ECC Decision (20)01: 5945-6425 MHz , CEPT www.cept.org/ecc/