The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) recently announced the results of Wi-Fi 7 industry trials in enterprise scenarios, conducted in collaboration with AT&T, CommScope (RUCKUS Networks), and Intel. The trials, designed to evaluate Wi-Fi 7’s real-world performance, demonstrated significant improvements in throughput, efficiency and latency, highlighting Wi-Fi 7’s ability to support mission-critical enterprise applications such as XR, AI, Cloud computing, and industrial IoT.
The WBA Wi-Fi 7 trials focused on assessing rate versus range performance in enterprise settings, comparing Wi-Fi 7 with Wi-Fi 6E across the 5GHz and 6GHz bands. The tests which were conducted in live enterprise environments, revealed that Wi-Fi 7 delivers:
- Nearly double the throughput of Wi-Fi 6E at 5GHz using 40MHz channels
- Sustained 1 Gbps+ throughput up to 40 feet away from the access point (AP) in the 6GHz band with 160MHz channels
- Lower latency and improved efficiency, supporting next-generation applications such as AR/VR, video conferencing, and automation
- Greater network reliability, helping enterprises manage high-density environments with thousands of connected devices
The trials assessed Wi-Fi 7’s capabilities in both controlled and real-world enterprise environments, focusing on throughput, latency, and signal range across different frequencies and channel widths. At 6GHz with 160MHz channels, Wi-Fi 7 achieved nearly 2Gbps downlink throughput at close range, maintaining over 1Gbps up to 40 feet away. In high-density enterprise settings, where APs must support thousands of simultaneous connections, Wi-Fi 7’s enhanced spectral efficiency and Multi-Link Operation (MLO) provided more stable, reliable connectivity, mitigating network congestion even in heavily loaded conditions.
These findings reflect Wi-Fi 7’s ability to address key connectivity challenges in applications such as smart offices, manufacturing, healthcare, and immersive digital environments. Enterprises that rely on real-time collaboration, video conferencing, AI-driven automation, and AR/VR applications will benefit from Wi-Fi 7’s lower latency and higher throughput, ensuring seamless user experiences without performance bottlenecks. The results also confirmed that Wi-Fi 7 delivers significant improvements in 5GHz networks, where many legacy devices still operate, ensuring backward compatibility and an easier transition for enterprises upgrading their infrastructure.
While this trial focused on 160MHz channels in the 6GHz band which would be typical for high-density commercial Wi-Fi 7 network deployments requiring many access points. However, most of today’s Wi-Fi 7 devices also support 320MHz channels which would be more common for smaller networks, and enable even higher levels of performance for hybrid work and consumer experiences as documented in arecent WBA Wi-Fi 7 Trial report for residential settings.
“Wi-Fi 7 is not just an evolution, it’s a game changer for enterprise connectivity. These trials prove that Wi-Fi 7 offers real-world improvements in speed, reliability, and efficiency that businesses need to support the next generation of applications,” said Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance. “As adoption accelerates, enterprises will see tangible benefits in everything from hybrid work and immersive experiences to AI-driven automation. The WBA is committed to ensuring the industry has the data and insights needed to maximise Wi-Fi 7’s potential.”
“Enterprises are demanding more from their Wi-Fi networks than ever before. These trials confirm that Wi-Fi 7 can deliver the high-performance, low-latency connectivity required for modern digital environments,” added JR Wilson, VP, Tower Strategy & Roaming, AT&T. “At AT&T, we see Wi-Fi 7 as a key enabler for businesses looking to optimise their operations and embrace the future of connectivity.”
“Wi-Fi 7 introduces groundbreaking features like Multi-Link Operation (MLO) and 4K QAM, which significantly enhance network efficiency and throughput. Our participation in these trials has demonstrated how enterprises can leverage these advancements to enable the most demanding applications in the most challenging environment in a variety of industry verticals,” said Mittal Parekh, Senior Director, Business Development RUCKUS Networks, CommScope.
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