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# Ookla Finds a Slow Global Shift to Advanced Wi-Fi
- URL: https://broadbandbreakfast.com/ookla-finds-a-slow-global-shift-to-advanced-wi-fi/
- Published: 2026-06-08T16:54:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-04T21:50:29.000Z
- Description: The company found that some regions rely on Wi-Fi 6, but most of the globe still uses Wi-Fi 5.
- Author: Abby Larkin
- Tags: Spectrum, Ookla, Wi-Fi, Stephen Bye, Mark Giles, Sue Marek, North America, Europe, Singapore, #with-siderail

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2026 – The future of connectivity belongs to Wi-Fi 7 and 6 GigaHertz spectrum band Wi-Fi. Still, advanced Wi-Fi has yet to take off globally, says Ookla, an internet metrics and network diagnostics company, in a Q1 findings report released Monday

The company, under CEO **Stephen Bye**, used Ookla Speedtest data to track different generations of Wi-Fi and found that North America leads the globe in 6 GHz Wi-Fi use. In the region, [13.8%](https://www.ookla.com/articles/global-state-of-wi-fi-2026?utm%5Fsource=email&utm%5Fmedium=Press&utm%5Fcampaign=Wi-Fi) of users connect to the band. This is a large increase compared to the 2.2% of users that were connecting on the band in 2024.

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“In North America the newly available 6 GHz spectrum band resulted in the Wi-Fi router industry making substantial investments in Wi-Fi chipsets and access points that incorporated the new spectrum band,” said **Mark Giles**, head of Oola research, and **Sue Marek**, analyst and director of Ookla’s editorial team, in [the report.](https://www.ookla.com/articles/global-state-of-wi-fi-2026?utm%5Fsource=email&utm%5Fmedium=Press&utm%5Fcampaign=Wi-Fi) The region has invested in upgrading and advocating for advanced Wi-Fi speeds. 

The 6 GHz Wi-Fi has seen progress, but 5 GHz remains the most used Wi-Fi band. The 6 GHz band Wi-Fi has seen growth in certain areas of the world, but only 1.7% of users globally rely on it. [Sixty percent](https://www.ookla.com/articles/global-state-of-wi-fi-2026?utm%5Fsource=email&utm%5Fmedium=Press&utm%5Fcampaign=Wi-Fi) of global users still connect to Wi-Fi 5 because the lower portion of the 5 GHz band is available for unlicensed use in most countries.

European markets have low 6 GHz use, with the continent's band utilization capped at 1.6%. Internet quality varies across European countries, with Switzerland leading the region at a 58.7% modern Wi-Fi share.

Wi-Fi 7 is still emerging in most markets but is showing potential. Slightly less than 2% of data shows Wi-Fi 7 usage, with Singapore having the highest percentage of users. The Singaporean government has pushed to upgrade home broadband speeds to 10 Gbps through educating users about Wi-Fi speeds and bundling Wi-Fi 7 hardware with 10 Gbps broadband subscriptions.

Most smartphones can support Wi-Fi 6 or newer generations. However, advanced routers that can support newer Wi-Fi are lagging due to inflated semiconductor supply chain costs. There is a demand for more advanced routers to allow an increase in internet speeds.