Confidence in Wi-Fi investment is strengthening across the telecoms and enterprise sectors, according to new research from the Wireless Broadband Alliance.
The industry body’s annual survey found that 62% of respondents are more inclined to invest in Wi-Fi than a year ago, signalling renewed momentum behind next-generation wireless technologies.
The WBA Industry Report 2026 points to Wi-Fi 7 as the most likely near-term upgrade, with 38% of surveyed companies planning deployments in 2025 or 2026. Just under a third expect to roll out AI-enhanced, or cognitive, networks, reflecting rising expectations that artificial intelligence will improve performance, reliability, and operational efficiency.
Demand growth is expected to be strongest in Smart Home IoT, identified by 36% of respondents, followed by AI-driven applications at 33%, and industrial or manufacturing IoT at 24%. Stadiums and large event venues are expected to see the highest traffic growth, at 41%.
The survey highlights robust interest in 6 GHz spectrum, with 65% of respondents describing its availability as important or critical to future Wi-Fi strategies. It also shows growing confidence in OpenRoaming, the WBA framework designed to enable seamless, secure movement between Wi-Fi, cellular, and private networks. Almost four in ten respondents have already deployed OpenRoaming or Passpoint-compliant networks, while a further 32% plan to do so in 2026.
Convergence between Wi-Fi and 5G remains a central theme. Six in ten respondents said combining the technologies would improve enterprise flexibility, and the same proportion expect Wi-Fi and 5G to co-exist rather than compete.
Security and privacy remain top priorities, cited by 76% of respondents. Quality of Experience, Quality of Service, and seamless authentication ranked joint second at 70%. Looking ahead to Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 features, Multi-Link Operation — which aims to reduce latency and boost resilience — was deemed most important, at 46%.
Public Wi-Fi is also set for expansion. One-third of organisations already support city-wide deployments, with a further 39% planning to do so in 2026 or 2027. The leading motivations include supporting municipal services, extending affordable and secure access for residents, and providing mobile offload capacity for carriers.
Tiago Rodrigues, President and Chief Executive of the WBA, said the findings show the industry “has moved to building the next generation of converged connectivity”, pointing to strong interest in Wi-Fi 7, AI-driven network operations, and the strategic role of 6 GHz spectrum. Wi-Fi, he said, “has become essential infrastructure for enterprises, operators, and cities alike”.
The survey drew responses from 185 participants globally, spanning the C-suite, business strategists, R&D specialists, and product managers across a wide set of sectors.
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