On June 20 this year, the world came together to celebrate World Wi-Fi Day — a time to recognize and commemorate the significant role Wi-Fi plays in our communities. As parts of the world slowly heal from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, this was a particularly poignant time to reflect on the way that Wi-Fi impacted family, economy, businesses and society.

Photo by: Wireless Broadband Alliance

Wi-Fi paved the way for a connected society — through telework, remote school, online shopping, Netflix watch parties, Covid alerts, TikTok and more, it ensured that we had access to everything we needed. In a world where people felt alone, due to fear of the unknown and government stay-at-home orders, it was a shining light for all of us. 

Wi-Fi creates a world where it is easy for people from different countries, nationalities, races and cultures to unite and form a community. It allows people to find others who share their hobbies, favorite TV shows, movies, books, fandoms, recipes and more. Region did not matter. Distance did not matter. All that matters were the people and their connection. 

Along with its functional, social and community value, Wi-Fi has a major economic benefit — it will contribute more than $5 trillion to the global economy by 2025. 

As we reflect on the past year, it becomes abundantly clear why we should be excited for the future of Wi-Fi. As our need for connectivity grows, it becomes more critical to ensure that our Wi-Fi networks can continue to bring more people and more devices online. And that means making smart policies for our airwaves that allocate sufficient unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi use. 

On World Wi-Fi Day, we are proud and honored to be working on solutions for faster internet, more unlicensed spectrum and greater Wi-Fi availability and access.