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

Findings released by the WBA as part of the WBA's annual Industry Report 2023 show that more than a third (33%) of service providers, technology vendors and enterprises already plan 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 having deployed the technology and 44% already planning to adopt Wi-Fi 6E in the next 12-18 months .

Immersive technology and quality of experience drive adoption

The growing demand for data-intensive, low-latency applications and use cases, from smart cities and immersive technologies such as the future metaverse, to Industry 4.0, is driving the adoption of Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7. Newer Wi-Fi technology offers better scheduling and stronger interference management, which survey respondents now see as enabling high-quality video, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and other advanced consumers necessary for the experience.

The report details a renewed focus on quality of experience (QoE) delivered to end users, which 90 percent of service providers, device manufacturers and enterprises now cite as a key benefit for monetizing their Wi-Fi services. Services such as HD video streaming, AR, VR and potential metaverse applications are cited by 61% of respondents as key revenue opportunities.

Momentum for WBA open roaming picks up

The report also highlights the global momentum of WBA Open Roaming, reaching 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 requiring logins, registrations or passwords, enabling "always-on" connections. Passpoint technology removes the friction typically associated with onboarding and offboarding between hotspots. 62% of global service providers, device manufacturers and enterprises will have 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.

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

Convergence is critical

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

In the enterprise market, 70% say Wi-Fi and 5G will coexist, and 61% say convergence will support increased flexibility in enterprise services

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

Tiago Rodrigues, chief executive of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, said: "What we're seeing here is that the industry is recognizing the emergence of highly anticipated new use cases. The growing value of Wi-Fi technology. In addition, service providers, device manufacturers, and enterprises around the world know that these use cases are best suited for converged environments, where Wi-Fi and 5G complement each other. Therefore, we Seeing that the industry is moving to Wi-Fi 7 at breakneck speed, mobile operators are using Wi-Fi as part of their 5G strategies to maximize coverage and optimize capacity, and it's all about the user experience. This includes how people and things are connected to the network - automatic, secure, privacy guaranteed, which are the essential elements that OpenRoaming provides."

Adlane Fellah, Senior Analyst at Maravedis, said: “Ensuring a predictable, high-quality Wi-Fi experience has become a major driver of innovation and collaboration in the industry. In a post-pandemic world, consumers and businesses have higher expectations for Wi-Fi, and Rely on it more than ever. Immersive experiences, low-latency applications and seamless roaming will drive the Wi-Fi industry forward for the foreseeable future.”