New Report Sounds the Alarm: Wi-Fi Demand is Surging – Without Protection and Expansion of Unlicensed Spectrum, U.S. Wireless Connectivity At Risk

A new report from ABI Research highlights a sharp increase in demand for Wi-Fi technologies in business environments and the need to protect and expand the unlicensed spectrum on which Wi-Fi relies. Published recently following the 6th anniversary of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s historic decision to allocate the full 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, the report’s findings make one point unmistakably clear: continued use of the full 1200 MHz of unlicensed 6 GHz spectrum—and extension into adjacent bands like the lower 7 GHz band—is essential to meet growing demand and avoid a looming capacity crunch. The report identifies key figures that underscore surging demand for Wi-Fi devices in enterprise environments and the corresponding need to quickly identify and allocate more unlicensed spectrum to meet that demand:  

• 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—a 136% increase in just five years. 
• The number of 6 GHz capable Wi-Fi devices used in industrial and manufacturing environments worldwide is projected to skyrocket from nearly 7% in 2024 to 75% in 2030. In North America the percentage will increase from 18% to 89% over the same period. 
• The majority of the education market is expected to transition to 6 GHz-enabled access points; by 2030, a projected 98% of all Wi-Fi access point shipments in North America will support 6 GHz.  
• Between 2023 and 2025, there was a 151% jump in annual shipments of 6 GHz-enabled Wi-Fi infrastructure into the healthcare sector, with Wi-Fi shipments projected to jump nearly 60% between 2025 and 2030.