Tiago Rodrigues, president of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), has shared his top-ten predictions for 2025.

These trends reflect how wifi is evolving to meet the demands of increased connectivity, higher speeds, better security, growing number of devices connected to the internet and a greater focus on energy efficiency.

“The Wi-Fi industry has reached a pivotal moment,” said Rodrigues. “As demand for improved wifi user experience with seamless, secure and high-performance connectivity continues to surge across homes, enterprises and cities, collaboration within our ecosystem is more critical than ever. At the WBA, we are committed to driving innovation, interoperability and standards that empower the wifi and broadband connectivity industry to meet the needs of today while laying the foundation for tomorrow’s connected world.”

The ten wifi predictions for 2025 and beyond are:

1. Wifi 7 adoption: Early adopters of Wifi 7 will include technology-driven industries, smart-home enthusiasts and enterprises needing high-density, high-speed connectivity. Large tech companies and advanced enterprises will be among the first to implement Wifi 7 in their office infrastructures to support increased demands from remote collaboration tools, IoT sensors and high-definition video conferencing. Smart cities will also lead the charge, adopting Wifi 7 to enable real-time data collection from IoT devices for traffic management, public safety and environmental monitoring. Public venues such as stadiums, airports and convention centres will adopt Wifi 7 early to manage the connectivity needs of thousands of simultaneous users, providing seamless streaming and data access for fans, travellers and attendees. Within the consumer sector, tech-savvy users and smart-home aficionados will upgrade to Wifi 7 routers to increase the performance of their growing array of connected devices, such as smart appliances, security systems and entertainment systems for 8K streaming and gaming.
2. 6GHz expansion and AFC: AFC (automated frequency coordination) systems will see phased rollouts across multiple regions, particularly in the USA, Canada, European Union and parts of Asia, as regulators increasingly approve 6GHz use for unlicensed wifi under AFC management. In the USA, the FCC will lead AFC implementation for standard-power wifi operations in the 6GHz band, with licensed database administrators managing these AFC systems. Following the US model, other countries are anticipated to adopt similar AFC frameworks, accelerating deployment in enterprise and public spaces by ensuring devices can operate at standard power levels in outdoor or high-traffic areas without compromising incumbent communications. In Canada, AFC approval by regulatory bodies will drive adoption in urban areas and suburban networks, supporting widespread use in shopping centres, airports and sports venues. In Europe, Etsi will likely coordinate region-specific AFC guidelines, balancing connectivity needs with incumbent protections.
3. AI-driven network optimisation: AI-powered routers and cloud platforms will analyse traffic patterns, adjust bandwidth allocation and manage devices for optimal performance, particularly in smart homes and IoT-heavy environments. As hardware becomes increasingly commoditised, infrastructure vendors will create their respective secret sauces to innovate and differentiate.
4. Wifi and 5G convergence: The convergence of 5G, 6G and wifi will ensure seamless, high-quality connectivity by dynamically switching between the best available networks. In a smart city, for example, a person moving from a wifi-rich office to a 5G-powered urban area will experience uninterrupted service, thanks to technologies such as OpenRoaming and Passpoint, which enable secure, automatic connections to trusted wifi networks. 5G’s network slicing further enhances this by dedicating specific network resources to applications such as AR, VR and real-time gaming, which can integrate smoothly with wifi. As enterprises and industries drive this convergence, 6G will add features such as terahertz frequencies for nearly instant communication over wide and local areas. Edge computing, which processes data closer to its source to reduce latency, will leverage wifi and 5G and 6G to offload tasks to the best network, optimising real-time performance. Wifi will dominate high-density areas such as offices, while 5G and 6G will enable broad IoT deployments, paving the way for innovations such as smart cities and autonomous vehicles reliant on robust, ubiquitous connectivity.
5. OpenRoaming: 2025 will continue to see an acceleration for OpenRoaming as global adoption continues to grow, moving forward on the vision to transform public and guest wifi user experience, and changing the way to connect to wifi, from remote communities, to universities, stadiums, retail chains and large city deployments. OpenRoaming capabilities are extending into the IoT space, with zero touch provisioning of IoT devices, emergency calling and response, and private cellular networks. At the same time, OpenRoaming expands the opportunity for MNOs and MVNOs to incorporate wifi as part of their wireless offerings to expand capacity and coverage, in particular for indoor scenarios.
6. TIP OpenWifi: TIP OpenWifi adoption is projected to continue expanding, though the pace will likely be uneven across sectors and geographies. The introduction of OpenLAN switching is expected to stimulate growth, particularly in cost-sensitive markets such as India and among managed service providers (MSPs) in the USA and Europe looking for alternative, flexible networking. However, TIP OpenWifi’s success will hinge on its ability to navigate problems in scaling deployments and building credibility against established WLAN providers, who have aggressively invested in AI-driven performance enhancements and customisable features that make their offerings more compelling for enterprise-level CIOs and CTOs.
7. Increased IoT device connectivity: As the number of IoT devices continues to grow, wifi networks will be optimised to handle large-scale device connections. Wifi 6’s and Wifi 7’s ability to manage more simultaneous devices will become crucial in supporting smart homes, IoT and smart cities. Further, the Wifi HaLow standard will develop as a disruptive connectivity technology for IoT, with the potential to transform the IoT landscape. With its extensive range, superior penetration and enhanced battery life, Wifi HaLow is poised to revolutionise industries, including agriculture, smart cities and manufacturing, improving efficiency and data collection. WifFi HaLow is ready for primetime in the IoT ecosystem and is a natural fit, especially for long-range, intelligent applications.
8. API first: The API-first strategy has transitioned from a progressive concept to a fundamental practice. Wifi vendors are building applications with APIs as the primary focus, ensuring integration, scalability and future growth are baked into the DNA of their digital offerings. This approach highlights the critical role of APIs in creating flexible, adaptable and robust digital architectures. While using APIs provides a log of great flexibility and potential, every API integration project is inherently unique. Usually, a single integration build will take engineers at least several weeks. Once it is built, engineers will likely need to allocate several hours per month to maintain the integration.
9. Municipalities and governments will continue to expand public wifi networks: Public wifi networks will be driven by smart-city initiatives, offering free or low-cost connectivity in urban areas. These networks will support everything from smart transportation to energy management and public safety. OpenRoaming is set to play a pivotal role in the expansion of public and smart city wifi networks. For smart cities such as Tokyo, Barcelona and others, this seamless transition between networks enables reliable, continuous connectivity for citizens and devices alike, supporting applications such as real-time traffic monitoring, public safety systems and IoT-based services. Municipalities and public wifi providers will likely prioritise OpenRoaming to enhance user experience, simplify network management and foster more data-rich urban environments.
10. Greater focus on energy efficiency: Wifi networks will prioritise energy efficiency, particularly for IoT devices requiring long battery life. Technologies such as target wake time (TWT) will become more prevalent, reducing power consumption in connected devices by allowing them to schedule check-ins with the network.

Read more about these trends and the work of the WBA in its Annual Industry Report 2025 (wballiance.com/wba-industry-report-2025).

Founded in 2003, the WBA (wballiance.com) is a global organisation that connects people with the latest wifi initiatives. It undertakes programmes and activities to address business and technical problems, while exploring opportunities for its member companies.