Following the 6th anniversary of President Trump’s landmark decision to unlock the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, building on that progress is crucial to accelerate American growth, innovation 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new report from ABI Research – a leading global technology advisory firm – 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.  Today’s report builds upon ABI’s 2024 report on Wi-Fi demand in residential markets which similarly demonstrated robust and expanding demand for Wi-Fi devices and unlicensed spectrum. From advanced manufacturing and healthcare to critical infrastructure and small business operations, Wi-Fi carries the vast majority of enterprise data traffic and underpins mission-critical applications as the backbone of the digital economy. 

Published recently following the 6th anniversary of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’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 (APs); 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.

The choice is clear: the U.S. must protect and expand unlicensed spectrum—or accept slower growth and reduced global competitiveness. 

“Today’s report makes clear that Wi-Fi demand is compounding, but the unlicensed spectrum that powers it is not – and every delay in expanding unlicensed spectrum translates into lost capacity, lost productivity, and lost economic output. You can’t power a 21st-century economy on yesterday’s spectrum policy,” said Mary Brown, Executive Director of WifiForward. “As we celebrate the recent anniversary of the FCC’s decision to unleash the full potential of 6 GHz, we should be laser-focused on accelerating the economic growth, global leadership, and technological innovation that came as a direct result. We stand ready to continue this collaboration with key stakeholders and promote forward-thinking spectrum policy to meet the growing needs of American users for years to come.”  

You can read the full report here.   

Press Contact: media@wififorward.org   

About WifiForward:  

WifiForward is an ad hoc, broad-based group of companies, organizations and public sector institutions working to alleviate the Wi-Fi spectrum crunch and to support making Wi-Fi even better by finding more unlicensed spectrum.