Transformational spectrum decision catalyzed unprecedented innovation and connectivity advancements
Austin, Texas – April 23, 2025 – Wi-Fi Alliance® proudly marks the fifth anniversary of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) landmark decision to open the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, a pivotal milestone that continues to fuel innovation and connectivity through Wi-Fi®. This bold April 2020 decision unlocked billions of dollars in economic value, positioned the U.S. as a global leader in unlicensed spectrum policy, and catalyzed international momentum toward enabling a next-generation Wi-Fi® ecosystem worldwide.
The 6 GHz band has played a critical role in enabling next-generation Wi-Fi – driving the global rollout of Wi-Fi 7 – by relieving network congestion and expanding high-performance connectivity. Since the FCC’s ruling, billions of 6 GHz Wi-Fi devices have entered the market, underscoring the rapid adoption and far-reaching benefits of forward-looking spectrum policy.
"The FCC’s visionary action to open the full 6 GHz band was a pivotal moment for Wi-Fi connectivity and digital transformation globally," said Kevin Robinson, President and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance. "Five years on, that leadership continues to drive global spectrum policy, as regulators around the world empower consumers and enterprises with Wi-Fi innovation.”
Wi-Fi Alliance is proud of the critical role we've played at the forefront of advancing 6 GHz Wi-Fi, working tirelessly to support policymakers and industry innovators. As we look ahead, we remain committed to driving further progress in spectrum policy and fostering global connectivity through continued leadership in Wi-Fi advancements.
To mark this milestone, Wi-Fi Alliance is sharing educational resources, a special episode of The Signal podcast, and member company testimonials on the tremendous impact of the full band.
As the demand for high-quality connectivity continues to grow, 6 GHz remains essential to delivering seamless, secure, and scalable Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi Alliance member testimonials
“The 6 GHz band for unlicensed use is advancing the wireless landscape, and Boingo is pioneering its real-world deployment across high-density venues with our Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 solutions. From airports and stadiums to hospitals, convention centers and military bases, Boingo helps venues unlock the full potential of the 6 GHz band to deliver faster speeds, greater capacity, and seamless, secure connected experiences—all through our converged network approach.” – Dr. Derek Peterson, CTO, Boingo Wireless
“Five years ago, the FCC’s bold move to open the 6 GHz band didn’t just transform U.S. wireless connectivity—it set a global precedent. Today, countries representing over 75% of the world’s GDP have followed suit, catalyzing a new era of Wi-Fi innovation. With over a billion 6 GHz Wi-Fi devices shipped, it’s quickly becoming the standard for smartphones and laptops. As Wi-Fi 7 proliferates, wireless performance is converging with AI—powering an immersive, intelligent edge. The momentum behind 6 GHz is unstoppable, and the next chapter of Wi-Fi is redefining how we connect, compute, and collaborate.” – Vijay Nagarajan, Vice President of Wireless Communications and Connectivity Division, Broadcom Inc.
“The FCC’s decision to open the 6 GHz band removed the last performance barrier for the industry. We quickly integrated 6 GHz into the Calix Unlimited Subscriber systems portfolio, building a Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® line so providers can support higher performance and capacity applications for residential, MDUs, and small businesses. The 6 GHz spectrum and the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard are game changers for providers who compete on experience, enabling remote healthcare, smart manufacturing, real-time logistics, and much more. As a contributing member of Wi-Fi Alliance, Calix remains committed to open standards that ensure interoperability and help providers deliver secure, high-performance Wi-Fi 7 experiences at scale." – Shane Eleniak, chief product officer at Calix
"As we celebrate the 5-year anniversary of the FCC's release of the full 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, Cisco acknowledges its transformative impact on wireless connectivity. The availability of 1200 MHz in the 6 GHz spectrum has been vital for advancing network solutions and fostering innovation. Cisco will continue to build innovative technologies that are 6 GHz enabled, reflecting our commitment to connecting the unconnected and driving a digital future for all." – Matt MacPherson, Wireless CTO at Cisco
“Wi-Fi has become ingrained in our daily lives as the predominant and most ubiquitous wireless technology over the last 26 years. The 6 GHz decision five years ago wasn’t just a regulatory milestone—it marked the beginning of what I call the era of 6 GHz Wi-Fi connectivity and mobility. This newly available spectrum has unlocked unprecedented possibilities and will continue to drive the next wave of wireless innovation. As we celebrate this anniversary, we’re reminded that the real potential of 6 GHz is just starting to unfold. At Extreme, we’re harnessing this spectrum to deliver breakthrough performance—ultra-fast, ultra-reliable connectivity that enables seamless, secure, and high-quality user experiences in even the most demanding environments. For our customers, 6 GHz Wi-Fi isn’t just an upgrade—it’s a promise of fast, frictionless, and dependable wireless access, wherever and whenever it’s needed.” – David Coleman, Director of Wireless Networking, Office of the CTO, Extreme Networks
“Congratulations to the FCC and on the 5th anniversary of its historic decision to expand Wi-Fi into 6 GHz for increased capacity to support the growth of wireless devices and new innovative use cases. As a key advocate of the 6 GHz band, we’re seeing many customers take advantage of these capabilities in their products using our Wi-Fi chips with lower latency and better co-existence with other wireless technologies. As devices become more intelligent and the need for real-time device communication increases, Infineon will continue to work closely with Wi-Fi Alliance, regulatory bodies and partners to ensure our customers have solutions that meet their growing needs across automotive, industrial, enterprise and consumer IoT applications.” –Sivaram Trikutam, SVP of Wireless Connectivity, Infineon Technologies
"I can't believe it's been 5 years since the joint Intel-Broadcom demo at the FCC offices in Washington D.C., where we were the first to demonstrate the benefits of 6 GHz Wi-Fi. I remember Chairman Pai sharing our view that 6 GHz is a vital resource, enabling unparalleled Wi-Fi performance and multi-gigabit speeds throughout the home due to clean spectrum and up to 320 MHz channels. I am excited to say that 5 years later, we are seeing 6 GHz adoption exceeding expectations through broad industry collaboration supported by Wi-Fi Alliance certification." – Eric A. McLaughlin, VP, Client Computing Group, GM, Connectivity Solutions Group, Intel Corporation
"The FCC's historic 6 GHz decision has driven innovation and product investments, significantly improving connectivity for consumers across the U.S. On the 5th anniversary of this decision, MaxLinear congratulates the FCC and the industry on these advancements. Shortly after the decision, MaxLinear launched its first Wi-Fi 6E product, laying the foundation for our next-generation, industry-leading tri-band single-chip, which includes Wi-Fi 7 baseband and radio processing for all three bands. The high level of integration in MaxLinear's Wi-Fi 7 single-chip lowers costs for consumers while fully unlocking the potential of the 6 GHz band by improving throughput and reducing latency. These tremendous advancements in Wi-Fi were made possible by the FCC's decision. MaxLinear remains committed to driving innovation and delivering exceptional experiences for customers and service providers.” – Puneet Sethi, Vice President of MaxLinear’s Network Infrastructure and Carrier Business.
“Five years ago, the FCC's historic decision to open the 6 GHz spectrum to Wi-Fi marked a transformative milestone in wireless connectivity. Qualcomm Technologies is proud to have been part of a group of industry visionaries who played a pivotal role in driving this change. As we celebrate this anniversary, we reflect on the profound impact this decision has had in unlocking Wi-Fi's full potential with Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 and beyond, enabling unprecedented connectivity and performance for consumers, businesses, and industries. We look forward to continuing our journey of innovation, ensuring Wi-Fi remains a cornerstone of global connectivity.” – Rahul Patel, Group General Manager, Connectivity, Broadband & Networking (CBN), Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
“The action from the FCC was a game-changer, ushering in a new era of enterprise connectivity by paving the way for Wi-Fi 7, which delivers unprecedented levels of speed, reliability, and ultra-low latency for the modern digital enterprise. At RUCKUS Networks, CommScope, we recognized early on that the 6 GHz band would become the backbone of next-gen enterprise wireless. Since that historic 2020 ruling, we’ve been proud to introduce the most complete line of AI-Driven indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi 7 solutions capitalizing on the value of 6 GHz. Opening the band opened up a world of new possibilities and we’re excited to be a part of the revolution.” – Mittal Parekh, Senior Director, Products, RUCKUS Networks, CommScope
“The introduction of 6 GHz Wi-Fi five years ago paved the way for Skyworks to continue advancing our mission of connecting everyone and everything, all the time. As the market continues to evolve and new bandwidth-heavy applications are introduced, we’re proud to be driving and shaping the future for global Wi-Fi adoption through our participation in the Wi-Fi Alliance.” – Chung Liang Lee, director of product marketing for broad markets at Skyworks
“The FCC’s landmark decision to open the 6 GHz band five years ago transformed the Wi-Fi landscape, unlocking unprecedented capacity and paving the way for Wi-Fi 6E and now Wi-Fi 7. At Spirent, we recognized early on the potential of this spectrum to revolutionize connectivity and have been proud to support the industry with state-of-the-art testing and assurance solutions that accelerate innovation and ensure performance. As Wi-Fi continues to evolve, the 6 GHz band remains a cornerstone of next-generation wireless experiences—and Spirent remains at the forefront, helping to turn that potential into reality.” James Kimery, VP of Wireless Product Management at Spirent Communications
About Wi-Fi Alliance® | www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has completed more than 80,000 Wi-Fi certifications. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the Internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.
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