White Paper
Enterprise Wi-Fi Innovation and Future Spectrum Allocation
White Paper by ABI Research
Executive Summary
- This analysis of the enterprise market for Wi-Fi shows a sharp upward trajectory for Wi-Fi network and device demand in business environments, providing justification and urgency for retaining full use of existing unlicensed spectrum bands, as well as a need for promptly identifying more spectrum to accommodate future needs.
- Market adoption of the full 6 Gigahertz (GHz) band for Wi-Fi has been rapid, and a vast ecosystem of 6 GHz-enabled Wi-Fi devices is already in the market and growing. Annual global shipments of 6 GHz-enabled Wi-Fi chipsets soared from 200 million in 2022 to 1.1 billion in 2025, and are projected to reach 2.6 billion in 2030.
- ABI Research’s 2024 study on the state of Wi-Fi in residential markets demonstrated a robust existing and expanding household demand for the entire 6 GHz band with a corresponding skyrocketing demand for Wi-Fi devices. This highlighted the need to protect 6 GHz access and identify additional unlicensed spectrum to match residential market demand and innovation for years to come. This new study of the enterprise market and Wi-Fi shows a comparable demand curve for businesses across a wide range of industries.
- Wi-Fi devices and Access Points (APs) are increasingly equipped to access the entire 6 GHz spectrum band, and enterprises are taking full advantage of all of the channels enabled by 6 GHz, particularly in dense networking verticals described below. In fact, the upcoming Wi-Fi 8 protocol is designed, in part, to harness the potential of the full 6 GHz band by enterprises.
- Policy support for the use of the 6 GHz band on an unlicensed basis has advanced U.S. leadership in the development and deployment of innovative Wi-Fi technologies, giving U.S. businesses that adopt 6 GHz networking a competitive edge, and boosting global commercial opportunities for the U.S. Wi-Fi industry as other countries have followed U.S. spectrum decisions in whole or in part.
- Those overseas markets failing to provide access to the entire 6 GHz band will not be able to fully take advantage of the 6 GHz band’s benefits or the new capabilities of Wi-Fi 8, and will inevitably suffer from inferior Wi-Fi performance as a result.
- In-depth analysis of the U.S. economy has revealed the immense value of 6 GHz. Among its many uses, the band can help grow U.S. manufacturing capabilities to enhance healthcare delivery and widen access, improve educational outcomes, and facilitate wireless connectivity in stadiums and arenas to enhance the fan experience and build revenue.
- As an unmitigated success, U.S. policymakers should hold firm to their forward-looking vision and continue supporting the use of the full 6 GHz band for unlicensed Wi-Fi use and resist disruptive calls to partition, reallocate, or otherwise reduce the amount of spectrum available for Wi-Fi in the 6 GHz band. Marketplace demand firmly supports this position.
- To meet growing and projected demand for unlicensed spectrum, the time is now for policymakers to explore extending unlicensed spectrum into adjacent bands. Assigning the 7125 – 7250 Megahertz (MHz) frequencies for unlicensed use is a logical place to start given its optimal propagation characteristics, proximity to the 6 GHz band, existing compatibility with Wi-Fi 8, and the fact that it would make possible an additional 320 MHz channel for unlicensed use when paired with existing unlicensed spectrum.
