Global 6 GHz Wi-Fi adoption snapshot

Despite claims that 6 GHz global harmonization has been achieved, disparities remain

In sum – what to know:

6 GHz defines Wi-Fi 8 – Wi-Fi 8 shifts the narrative from peak speed to reliability, determinism, and intelligent coordination — capabilities that depend on wide, clean 6 GHz spectrum.

Fragmentation creates costs – Uneven 6 GHz policies are forcing vendors to ship multiple hardware variants, some without 6 GHz. This raises manufacturing costs and can leave enterprises buying gear that delivers reduced performance.

Adoption rising but uneven – Ninety-seven countries now authorize some portion of 6 GHz, up from 62 last cycle. But only a subset allows the full 1200 MHz, making global harmonization a gating factor for Wi-Fi 8’s capabilities and competitiveness.

Wi-Fi 6E introduced access to the 6 GHz band (5925–7125 MHz) in April 2020, when the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened the entire 6 GHz band for unlicensed Wi-Fi use. Later, Wi-Fi 7 maximized the band’s potential through wider 320 MHz channels and through Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which allows devices to connect across multiple bands simultaneously. Wi-Fi 8, designed to manage growing device density with far greater coordination and efficiency, now builds on this evolution by re-architecting how 6 GHz is used.

Ultimately, Wi-Fi 8 is defined not by raw speed but by ultra-high reliability, intelligent spectrum management, advanced error-recovery mechanisms, and significantly improved energy efficiency — capabilities made possible only through the full utilization of the 6 GHz band.

As such, spectrum policy remains a crucial variable. And despite claims from the GSMA that 6 GHz global harmonization has been achieved, disparities remain — some regions have authorized the full 6 GHz band, others only the lower portion, and certification timelines vary across the EU and APAC. Many view global 6 GHz harmonization as a key determinant of Wi-Fi 8’s performance, adoption curve, and competitiveness against 5G/NR-U.

In fact, global fragmentation around 6 GHz is already shaping vendor strategies and could create hidden costs for enterprises, Dell’Oro Group’s Research Director Siân Morgan told RCR Wireless News in a previous conversation. She noted that some suppliers are releasing Wi-Fi 7 (and soon Wi-Fi 8) access points that either use software-defined radios to toggle between 5 GHz and 6 GHz or omit 6 GHz altogether to keep hardware costs down and offer cheaper SKUs in markets where the band isn’t widely available or understood.

But supporting multiple product variants raises vendors’ overall costs, which are ultimately passed on to customers. Compounding the issue, enterprises may buy “Wi-Fi 7” gear assuming it’s automatically better than Wi-Fi 6, without realizing that dual-radio models without 6 GHz can’t deliver the full performance and capacity benefits — a gap that is likely to persist into the Wi-Fi 8 cycle.

While official ratification of IEEE 802.11bn is expected around 2028, the ecosystem is already mobilizing. Chipset vendors plan to begin sampling pre-standard silicon as early as 2026, followed by prototype devices and enterprise-grade access points. Consumer devices — including routers, laptops, smartphones, and IoT sensors — will likely incorporate Wi-Fi 8 closer to the end of the decade as it becomes standard across flagship platforms.

According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, 97 countries (up from 62 countries since RCR’s last Wi-Fi report) have adopted either the full 6 GHz band or a portion of the band for unlicensed Wi-Fi. See below for each country’s allocation, with bold indicating full 1200 MHz access.

Global 6 GHz Wi-Fi Allocations