Wireless Broadband Alliance Wi-Fi 7 trials data released in 2025 demonstrate significant performance gains in real-world enterprise environments.
The Wireless Broadband Alliance, dedicated to driving the seamless and interoperable service experience of Wi-Fi across the global wireless ecosystem, announced the results of its 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 vs. range performance in enterprise settings, comparing Wi-Fi 7 with Wi-Fi 6E across the 5 GHz and 6 GHz 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 5 GHz using 40 MHz channels
• Sustained 1 Gbps+ throughput up to 40 feet away from the access point (AP) in the 6 GHz band with 160 MHz channels
• Lower latency and improved efficiency, supporting next-gen applications such as AR/VR, video conferencing, and automation
• Greater network reliability, helping enterprises manage high-density environments with thousands of connected devices
• Downlink of 2 Gbps and reduced congestion with MLO

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 6 GHz with 160 MHz channels, Wi-Fi 7 achieved nearly 2 Gbps downlink throughput at close range, maintaining over 1 Gbps 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.

Addressing enterprise connectivity challenges for new and legacy devices

Findings demonstrate Wi-Fi 7’s ability to address key connectivity challenges in 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 trials also confirmed that Wi-Fi 7 delivers significant improvements in 5 GHz networks, where many legacy devices still operate, ensuring backward compatibility and an easier transition for enterprises upgrading their infrastructure.

While This trial focused on 160 MHz channels in the 6 GHz 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 320 MHz 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 the recent WBA Wi-Fi 7 Trial report for residential settings.

Here is what industry experts had to say about the future of Wi-Fi 7.

Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance

“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. 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 maximize Wi-Fi 7’s potential.”

JR Wilson, VP, Tower Strategy & Roaming at AT&T

“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. At AT&T, we see Wi-Fi 7 as a key enabler for businesses looking to optimize their operations and embrace the future of connectivity.”

Mittal Parekh, Senior Director, Business Development RUCKUS Networks at CommScope

“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.”

Eric A. McLaughlin, VP & GM Connectivity Solutions Group, Intel Corporation

“6 GHz Wi-Fi 7 marks a major leap forward in wireless technology, and the results of our collaboration in these trials reinforce its real-world benefits. Business PC users can enjoy enhanced productivity and collaboration experiences in the office or in hybrid work scenarios as 160 MHz channel use scales broadly across corporate networks and 320 MHz channels become mainstream at home. With improved spectrum utilization and dramatic performance improvements, the findings of the trial help underscore Wi-Fi 7’s ability to meet the needs of next-gen applications in enterprise, industrial, and residential settings.”

Driving Wi-Fi 7 adoption

Following these successful trials, the WBA will continue to collaborate with industry leaders to accelerate Wi-Fi 7 adoption, refine implementation strategies, and support enterprises in leveraging Wi-Fi 7’s full potential.

To learn more about the WBA’s Wi-Fi 7 initiatives and trial findings, visit The Road to Wi-Fi 7.

Commercial AFC Service, Enabling Standard Power Wi-Fi in 6 GHz Band Leveraging Critical Spectrum

Wireless Broadband Alliance Services (WBA Services), a subsidiary of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, has announced the commercial launch of WBA Services AFC, its Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) service. The cloud-based platform is fully certified by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and enables the deployment of standard power Wi-Fi devices in the 6 GHz band (5.925–7.125 GHz) while ensuring they do not cause interference to existing incumbents, such as fixed microwave and radio astronomy links.

The launch of WBA Services AFC reflects the organization’s goal to advance global Wi-Fi innovation, delivering faster, more reliable, and more secure wireless connectivity. By enabling standard power devices in the 6 GHz band, WBA Services is unlocking a critical new spectrum resource for high-performance use cases such as enterprise networking, smart city infrastructure, industrial IoT, and immersive experiences like AR/VR. AFC enables more efficient use of the spectrum, benefiting not only infrastructure providers and service providers, but the millions of end users and businesses that rely on seamless, wireless broadband and low-latency access in homes, offices, stadiums, and public spaces.

The WBA Services AFC is based on the OpenAFC open-source specification and provides infrastructure manufacturers, service providers, and enterprises with dynamic frequency and power management based on device location and local spectrum conditions. This ensures compliance with regulatory requirements while maximizing spectrum availability and performance.

Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of Wireless Broadband Alliance Services, said: “As the demand for high-speed, low-latency wireless connectivity grows, the 6 GHz band represents a critical resource. Our AFC service empowers the ecosystem to harness this band responsibly and effectively. This is another great example of how WBA members’ work on AFC and across our working groups is leading the industry, driving new innovations and business opportunities for Wi-Fi technologies including Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 in a wide range of industrial, commercial and consumer use cases.”

AFC at the core of the 6 GHz opportunity

The AFC framework is vital for enabling standard power and outdoor Wi-Fi operations in the 6 GHz band. Devices query the WBA Services AFC to determine which frequencies and power levels are permitted at their location. This enables real-time, interference-free spectrum use for high-performance deployments in enterprise campuses, public venues, and dense urban environments, without the need for additional spectrum licenses.

Technology article by the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA)