The first choice for connectivity

Wi-Fi® is celebrating its 25th year, and the technology remains the preferred choice for wireless connectivity a quarter century later. 4.1 billion Wi-Fi devices are forecast to ship in 2024,[1] contributing to 45.9 billion cumulative Wi-Fi shipments over the technology’s lifetime.[2] This year will also see 21.1 billion Wi-Fi devices in use[3] across multiple environments, such as smart locks and thermostats at home, cloud computing and rich telepresence in enterprise, and factory monitoring in industrial settings. 

Many countries have made 6 GHz unlicensed spectrum available for Wi-Fi, and users around the world are benefitting from the performance enhancements of this valuable band. Wi-Fi in 6 GHz, designated as Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, offers multigigabit data rates, deterministic latency, and increased reliability to support the stringent connectivity needs of today’s applications. And with the release of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7™ in January 2024, Wi-Fi 7 momentum continues as the new standard gains traction, providing the foundational connectivity for augmented, virtual, and extended reality (AR/VR/XR), ultra high definition video streaming, Industrial IoT, and more. These advanced applications depend on the capabilities of 6 GHz Wi-Fi, and 6 GHz device shipments are on the rise with 807.5 million predicted for 2024,[4] up 66% from 2023. 

Some additional data includes:

• Wi-Fi 6E’s market momentum continues to climb with 576.2 million Wi-Fi 6E devices expected to ship in 2024[5]
• 147.2 million Wi-Fi 6E access points (APs) will ship in 2024, and 23.12 million Wi-Fi 7 APs are expected to ship this year as well[6]
• 231.4 million Wi-Fi 7 device shipments are expected in 2024, with Wi-Fi 7 device shipments accounting for 5.7% of Wi-Fi device shipments this year[7]

 Wi-Fi shipments per year since the technology’s inception[8] 

Wi-Fi device shipments by generation from 2017 – 2028[9]

Wi-Fi across market segments

The increasing user demand for reliable connectivity is not slowing down, and Wi-Fi will continue to support complex use cases across automotive, IoT, and XR in 2024 and beyond. Wi-Fi 6 enabled devices (including Wi-Fi 6E) will maintain their stronghold on IoT this year with over 47 million shipments. XR is expected to see more than 24 million Wi-Fi 6 devices shipped, and automotive is forecast to see more than 21 million Wi-Fi 6 devices shipped in 2024.[10] 

As we celebrate 25 years of Wi-Fi, we look forward to the technology’s continued impact as it provides connectivity for the advanced use cases that are quickly becoming mainstays. 6 GHz Wi-Fi — in tandem with innovations in XR, automotive, and IoT — will continue to fuel Wi-Fi’s success for years to come.

[1] IDC, Worldwide Wi-Fi Technology Forecast, November 2023

[2] IDC, Worldwide Wi-Fi Technology Forecast, March 2023

[3] IDC, Worldwide Wi-Fi Technology Forecast, March 2023

[4] IDC, Worldwide Wi-Fi Technology Forecast, November 2023

[5] IDC, Worldwide Wi-Fi Technology Forecast, November 2023

[6] IDC, Worldwide Wi-Fi Technology Forecast, March 2023

[7] IDC Research, November 2023

[8] IDC Research, 2023

[9] IDC Research, December 2023

[10] ABI Research, MD-WCMT-194, QTR 1 2024

2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Wi-Fi, and in today's episode, we're celebrating this milestone by taking a walk down memory lane with our guest David Coleman, Director of Wireless in the Office of the CTO at Extreme Networks. David tells us about his first experience with Wi-Fi 25 years ago, and how the technology moved swiftly from the warehouse to the consumer. We talk about the early days of Wi-Fi security and encryption and how WPA provided the solution for safe connectivity and boosted consumer confidence. David tells us how the expansion of smartphones and tablets furthered the adoption of Wi-Fi and how 6 GHz and Wi-Fi 7 are ushering in a new era of connectivity. Join us as we celebrate our favorite connectivity technology. 

25 years of Wi-Fi®: Celebrating today’s innovations: https://www.wi-fi.org/beacon/the-beacon/25-years-of-wi-fi-celebrating-todays-innovations 
Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7™: https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-certified-7 
For Wi-Fi Alliance: https://www.wi-fi.org 
For Membership Info: https://www.wi-fi.org/membership 
General Contact: https://www.wi-fi.org/contact-us

Today's episode is all about Automated Frequency Coordination. We're welcoming Rolf de Vegt, VP of Technical Standards at Qualcomm, back to the podcast to tell us how AFC is expanding the use of Wi-Fi in the 6 GHz band. Rolf gives us a technical overview, and we discuss the different indoor and outdoor use cases that will utilize standard power in 6 GHz. We learn how AFC will provide significant throughput gains that will benefit users, and Rolf shares his insight about AFC testing and trials. Listen to this episode to learn more, and check out our AFC resources below. 

6 GHz AFC Resources: https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/6-ghz-afc-resources 
For Wi-Fi Alliance: https://www.wi-fi.org  
For Membership Info: https://www.wi-fi.org/membership 
General Contact: https://www.wi-fi.org/contact-us 

In today's episode, we're closing out 2023 with a look towards next year and expectations for Wi-Fi 7 according to Broadcom. We're joined by Vijay Nagarajan, VP of Wireless Connectivity at Broadcom, who shares more about what consumers can expect from Wi-Fi 7, and how the latest generation of Wi-Fi will support greater capacity, lower latency, and improved QoS. Vijay also shares his predictions for Wi-Fi 7 in enterprise and we talk about the latency enhancements delivered by MLO and other advanced features. Listen to this episode for the inside track on Wi-Fi 7.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7™: https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-certified-7
For Wi-Fi Alliance: www.wi-fi.org
For Membership Info: https://www.wi-fi.org/membership
General Contact: https://www.wi-fi.org/contact-us