Thanks to our friends at the FCC, we already know that the Sony Xperia Z3 (D6603) has been approved for the United States. This means that Sony is legally able to sell their next flagship Android smartphone if they so wish, though I wouldn’t expect it to arrive in the US for many months after its international launch. Now thanks to the FCC, we may have uncovered another detail about the Xperia Z3 which would truly make it a next generation smartphone.

The FCC is tasked with testing any wireless device that’s to be released in the US. This means if your device features Bluetooth, NFC, 3G, or another form of wireless, the FCC will need to look at it, no matter if it’s a smartphone or a remote control car. When the Xperia Z3 made its way through the FCC, the regulatory agency made one interesting mention. According to their filing, the Sony Xperia Z3 offers 802.11ac wireless at 5 Ghz. Backwards compatible with more standard wireless B/G/N signals, 802.11ac is the next iteration of the wireless standards that further improves bandwidth and is capable of providing single link throughput of at least 500 megabits per second (500 Mbit/s).

If this is true, it means for those who enjoy newer routers that provide 802.11ac, the Xperia Z3 will be able to take advantage of the extra speed which can be great for file transfers and more importantly video streaming. With PlayStation Now expected to come to Sony smartphones, the Xperia Z3 would surely provide the best avenue to stream PS3 titles and play them with no bottleneck from your home network.

802.11ac is also broadcasted on 5 Ghz frequency as opposed to the more traditional 2.4 Ghz which all wireless standards till now have utilized. Operating on a different frequency means less congestion on the 802.11ac networks where 2.4 Ghz is not only used by most routers, but home telephones as well. This is further complicated for those who live in apartments and condos where a lot of wireless signal is broadcasted from all directions. The Sony Xperia Z3 could bypass all that and be on a much cleaner network assuming you have a wireless ac router.

Discuss:

If true, is the inclusion of 802.11ac an important spec on the Sony Xperia Z3?

[Via FCC]