Report shows 33% of enterprises plan to deploy Wi-Fi 7 by 2024

Wi-Fi 7 is emerging as one of the most important areas for investment in new connectivity technologies. This is a key finding of the latest cross-industry survey of service providers, technology vendors and enterprises conducted by the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), the global industry organization dedicated to improving Wi-Fi standards and services.

As part of its annual Industry Report 2023, WBA released findings showing that more than a third (33%) of service providers, technology vendors and enterprises are already planning to deploy Wi-Fi 7 by the end of 2023. Wi-Fi 7 will enhance current Wi-Fi capabilities with new technologies such as multi-link operation and time-sensitive networking – ideal for Industry 4.0 applications – while dynamically utilizing the 6 GHz spectrum through automatic frequency coordination.

The report also shows that Wi-Fi 6E is now the de facto industry standard, with 53% of enterprises already deploying the technology and 44% already planning to adopt Wi-Fi 6E in the next 12-18 months.

Immersive technologies and quality of experience drive adoption

Growing demand for data-intensive, low-latency applications and use cases, from smart cities and immersive technologies like the future Metaverse to Industry 4.0, is driving adoption of Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7. Newer Wi-Fi technologies offer better scheduling and enhanced interference management, which survey respondents now see as necessary to support high-quality video, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and other advanced consumer experiences.

The report details a renewed focus on the quality of experience (QoE) delivered to end users, with 90% of service providers, device manufacturers and enterprises now citing it as a key benefit in monetizing their Wi-Fi services. 61% of respondents cite services such as HD video streaming, AR, VR and potentially Metaverse applications as key revenue opportunities.

WBA Open Roam momentum picks up

The report also highlights the global momentum of WBA Open Roaming, which reached the milestone of 1 million hotspots in early 2022. OpenRoaming enables users to automatically and securely connect to millions of Wi-Fi networks around the world without the need for logins, registrations or passwords, enabling "always-on" connectivity. Passpoint technology eliminates the friction typically associated with onboarding and offboarding between hotspots. 62% of service providers, device manufacturers and enterprises worldwide will have already deployed Passpoint/OpenRoaming technology or plan to do so by the end of 2023. Another 25% of companies expect to deploy the technology by 2025.

Of the companies adopting OpenRoaming, 51% said the key driver was improving the overall customer experience.

Integration is crucial

Other key findings from the report highlight the need for Wi-Fi and cellular technologies to converge to create a seamless user experience:

In the enterprise market, 70% said Wi-Fi and 5G will coexist, and 61% said convergence will support enhanced flexibility of enterprise services.

53% said that the convergence between licensed and unlicensed technologies is critical to current business strategy.

“What we’re seeing here is the industry recognizing the growing value of Wi-Fi technology as highly anticipated new use cases emerge,” said Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance. “Furthermore, service providers, device makers, and enterprises around the world know that these use cases work best in converged environments where Wi-Fi and 5G complement each other. As a result, we’re seeing the industry moving at a breakneck pace toward Wi-Fi 7, with mobile operators embracing Wi-Fi as part of their 5G strategy to maximize coverage and optimize capacity. It’s all about the user experience. This includes how people and things connect to the network – automatically, securely, and with guaranteed privacy, which is the essential element that OpenRoaming delivers.”

“Ensuring a predictable, high-quality Wi-Fi experience has become a key driver of innovation and collaboration in the industry,” said Adlane Fellah, senior analyst at Maravedis. “In the post-pandemic world, consumers and enterprises expect more from Wi-Fi and rely on it more than ever before. Immersive experiences, low-latency applications, and seamless roaming will drive the Wi-Fi industry for the foreseeable future.”