Broadcom has officially announced its first lineup of Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) chips

Broadcom has officially announced its first lineup of Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) chips, targeting both wireless clients and access point devices. The release includes the BCM43109 for smartphones, laptops, and automotive applications; the BCM6718 for residential and operator access points; and the BCM43840 and BCM43820 designed for enterprise-grade Wi-Fi 8 deployments.

Unlike Wi-Fi 7, which focused heavily on boosting link speed, Wi-Fi 8 (UHR — Ultra High Reliability) aims to deliver improved stability, reliability, and energy efficiency, optimizing user experience across multi-device environments.

Broadcom BCM43109 — Wi-Fi 8 Client Chip with Bluetooth 6.0 and IEEE 802.15.4

The BCM43109 brings Wi-Fi 8 connectivity to next-generation smartphones, laptops, tablets, and automotive systems. It integrates Bluetooth 6.0 and IEEE 802.15.4, enabling applications such as OpenThread and Zigbee, and features Broadcom’s latest dual-radio architecture for high throughput and low latency.

BCM43109 Specifications:

• Standard: IEEE 802.11bn (Wi-Fi 8) compliant
• Performance: Dual-stream spatial multiplexing up to 5 Gbps single-band / 5.25 Gbps RSDB mode
• Bandwidth: 320 MHz (5/6 GHz) and 20 MHz (2.4 GHz)
• Features: STR MLO, EMLSR support
• Scan radio for enhanced channel performance across 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz bands
• Bluetooth 6.0: Dual-core design with support for 2G, higher-band SDB with HDT, and upcoming Bluetooth versions
• IEEE 802.15.4: Supports OpenThread and ZBOSS
• Host Interfaces:
• PCIe Gen3 x1 (Wi-Fi)
• UART (Bluetooth)
• PCM & I²S (Bluetooth audio)

Broadcom BCM6718 — Residential & Operator Access Point Chip

Designed for home and service provider routers, the BCM6718 is a 4×4 tri-band Wi-Fi 8 radio supporting up to 320 MHz channels and 4K-QAM modulation, delivering a peak link rate of 11.5 Gbps. It integrates Broadcom’s BroadStream AI telemetry engine and packet scheduler for real-time optimization and quality-of-experience (QoE) management.

BCM6718 Highlights:

• Four-stream (4×4) Wi-Fi 8 radio, 320 MHz bandwidth
• Tri-band: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz
• Peak speed: Up to 11.5 Gbps
• AI-driven telemetry: BroadStream wireless telemetry engine
• Power efficiency: Up to 30% energy savings via advanced eco modes
• Performance enhancements:
• Receiver sensitivity improvements for faster uploads
• Third-gen DPD (digital pre-distortion) reduces peak power by 25%
• Security: WPA/WPA2/WPA3 (192-bit Suite B), AES, TKIP, IEEE 802.1X
• Temperature Range: 0°C to 70°C

Key Wi-Fi 8 features:

• Dynamic Sub-band Operation
• Inter-AP Coordination
• Unequal Modulation
• Extended Long Range & Distributed Resource Units (DRU)
• Seamless roaming and low-latency indicators

Broadcom BCM43840 & BCM43820 — Wi-Fi 8 Enterprise Access Point Chips

For enterprise-grade networking, Broadcom unveiled the BCM43840 and BCM43820, designed for high-density deployments like campuses, stadiums, and offices.

BCM43840 Highlights:

• 4×4 Wi-Fi 8 radio, 320 MHz bandwidth
• Up to 11.5 Gbps peak link rate
• Tri-band: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz
• AI telemetry: BroadStream engine for live data collection and training
• Energy efficiency: 30% greater efficiency; DPD reduces peak power by 25%
• Temperature: 0°C to 70°C (commercial), -40°C to 85°C (industrial)

BCM43820 Highlights:

• 2×2 Wi-Fi 8 radio, up to 320 MHz
• Peak rate: 5.76 Gbps
• Scanning & analytics-focused radio with advanced indoor location tracking
• Complements BCM43840 in enterprise multi-radio configurations

Both chips are fully compliant with IEEE 802.11bn and Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) Wi-Fi 8 specs and support the same advanced capacity, reliability, and security enhancements as the BCM6718.

Wi-Fi 8: Focus on Reliability, Not Just Speed

Wi-Fi 8, officially known as 802.11bn, prioritizes ultra-high reliability (UHR) over raw throughput.
While maximum data rates stay comparable to Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 8 introduces:

• More efficient multi-link operation (MLO).
• Dynamic spectrum sharing across crowded environments.
• Intelligent coordination between access points.
• Improved latency consistency for real-time applications like AR/VR, gaming, and IoT.

These improvements target scenarios with many connected devices, ensuring better stability and energy efficiency for both clients and access points.

Broadcom’s Wi-Fi 8 portfolio — BCM43109, BCM6718, BCM43840, and BCM43820 — is currently sampling to select partners, and Broadcom has also made the IP available for licensing.

According to Broadcom, we can expect the first Wi-Fi 8–capable smartphones, laptops, and routers to begin appearing in the second half of 2026, as hardware partners integrate these new chipsets into commercial products.