## 2 Related Work
### IEEE 802.11 be (Wi-Fi 7)  
IEEE 802.11 be, also known as Wi-Fi 7, is the next generation of Wi-Fi technology designed to meet the growing demands for high-capacity and ultra-low-latency wireless networks. Although the latest version of the standard is yet to be released, it is scheduled to be introduced in 2024, offering substantial improvements in terms of performance, efficiency, and network capacity.  
One of the most significant enhancements is the expansion of the channel bandwidth. Wi-Fi 7 supports channels up to 320 MHz, effectively doubling the maximum channel width available in Wi-Fi 6/6E (160 MHz). This wider channel allows for a substantial increase in data throughput, leading to significantly higher connection speeds and improved performance for bandwidth-intensive applications. Furthermore, Wi-Fi 7 introduces 4096-QAM, also known as 4K-QAM. This modulation scheme significantly enhances spectral efficiency by encoding four times more bits per symbol compared to the 1024-QAM used in Wi-Fi 6 [25].  
It supports new technologies such as Multi-Link Operation (MLO), Restricted Target Wake Time (r-TWT), and Multi-Resource Unit (MRU). MLO allows devices to simultaneously utilise multiple frequency bands and channels (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz). This simultaneous transmission and reception across multiple links distinguishes Wi-Fi 7 from previous standards. By aggregating these links, MLO enables devices to achieve several key benefits: higher throughput by combining the bandwidth of multiple channels, lower latency by selecting the optimal link for each data packet and improved reliability by providing redundancy in case one link experiences interference or congestion [26]. A particularly important enhancement for latency-sensitive applications is r-TWT. Building on the Target Wake Time (TWT) mechanism introduced in Wi-Fi 6, r-TWT further reduces the time devices spend in a low-power sleep state between data transmissions. By enabling more frequent and shorter wake-up intervals, r-TWT significantly reduces latency and improves responsiveness, making Wi-Fi 7 more suitable for real-time applications such as online gaming, video conferencing, and industrial control systems.  
This is achieved through more flexible scheduling and negotiation between the access point and the client devices [27]. Furthermore, MRU enables a more flexible and efficient mechanism for allocating radio resources. Unlike previous standards that relied on fixed resource unit sizes, MRU allows for more granular and dynamic allocation of resources to different users and applications. This improves spectral efficiency by minimising wasted resources and optimising data transmission based on the specific needs of each device, especially in scenarios with varying traffic demands [28].  
Wi-Fi 7 is designed to support the demands of the next generation of services and industrial applications with higher data rates, lower latencies, and higher spectral efficiency that transform the user experience by significantly increasing the number of simultaneously connected devices without substantial performance degradation. Wi-Fi 7 is a strong candidate to enable the connectivity demands of Industry 5.0, facilitating seamless communication between humans, machines, and intelligent systems in increasingly complex and interconnected environments [29]. To highlight the evolution of Wi-Fi technology, the Table 1 summarises the key technical aspects and advancements across the different standards.