The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), the global industry body dedicated to improving Wi-Fi standards and services, has today released the WBA Industry Report 2025, with 81% of respondents to its annual industry survey planning deployments of WBA OpenRoaming, an 18.9% increase on 2024. Of those, 25% were already rolling out the technology; 42% said they would deploy in 2025, with 27% planning for 2026. This enthusiasm is driven largely by the benefits, such as automatically authenticated connections that seamlessly move between Wi-Fi and cellular networks (5G/LTE), enhanced security, and the end-user experience.

The survey also found that confidence to invest in Wi-Fi is accelerating due to its cost-effectiveness and new standards delivering performance. Three-fifths (60%) stated they were more confident investing, while 19% said they were less confident. 19% said that their outlook had not changed from its previous position.

Asked why they planned to invest in OpenRoaming or Passpoint-compliant networks, the most popular response was to enable seamless access between Wi-Fi and 5G/LTE (44%), followed closely by providing improved security on Wi-Fi (43%). The third most popular reason was frictionless access to Wi-Fi (39%), with enabling seamless access across different networks close behind (38%).

Latest Wi-Fi and cellular standards being deployed

Respondents also reported that 37% had deployed Wi-Fi 6E, with 19% stating they had deployed the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard, despite it being a new technology still in its earlier adoption phase. Some 27% said they had already deployed Wi-Fi Sensing, and 17% had done the same for Wi-Fi HaLow.

On the cellular side, 20% said they had deployed CBRS (Citizen Broadband Radio Service), with 5G scoring 37% by this same measure. Some 30% said they had already deployed private cellular (some of which could be counted in the other responses), and 24% said they had deployed Distributed Antenna Systems. Notably, 24% said they already have AI or Cognitive access networks.

Other highlights from this year’s industry survey include:

• 90% reported that 6Ghz spectrum was important to their businesses. 23% of those respondents categorized it as critical, while only 9% of the overall sample said it would not be important for them.
• Network security and privacy (78%) is the most important area of Wi-Fi for respondents. This was followed by monetizing Wi-Fi services (70%), with Wi-Fi calling scoring 70%. IoT was close behind (68%), followed by roaming (65%) and end-user QoE and QoS (65%).
• Transportation hubs expected to be biggest area of traffic growth. 47% of respondents suggested that transportation hubs (stations, airports, etc.) are expected see the greatest growth in traffic in the next year. Retail was next, scoring 38%, with ground transportation (the vehicles themselves) in third place, with a 37.6% response rate.
• 46% plan to deploy city-wide Public Wi-Fi in 2025/2026. 23% saying this would happen in 2027, and 11% saying it would happen in 2028 or beyond. 15% had already deployed a city-wide public Wi-Fi network.

Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, said:

“The WBA Industry Report 2025 gives all readers a clear view on the exciting juncture the world of Wi-Fi is at, and the momentum behind technologies such as, OpenRoaming, Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi HaLow. Confidence to invest in Wi-Fi is growing, and industry members want to realize the benefits they offer such as lowering costs, simplifying management and improving the end-user experience.

“OpenRoaming has been a key focus in 2024 for the WBA and played a pivotal role in the activities of the Alliance, in part due to the growing number of global deployments but also from the ways it’s addressing verticals such as guest Wi-Fi, IoT, private cellular, and more. I feel confident that this momentum will grow exponentially in the years ahead.”

170 industry executives took part in the industry survey from across the globe. In addition to the survey findings, the WBA Industry Report 2025 provides key market segment updates on residential Wi-Fi, enterprise Wi-Fi, connected communities, and public spaces, alongside commentary on the evolution taking place in Wi-Fi technology. The report also outlines the priorities for the WBA in the year ahead and gives an update on the progress of WBA programs.

Final thoughts

The WBA Industry Report 2025 demonstrates strong momentum for Wi-Fi technologies, particularly OpenRoaming and next-gen standards like Wi-Fi 7. However, compared to other connectivity players like cellular network providers, Wi-Fi still faces challenges in universal adoption for seamless mobility and security. Cellular networks, bolstered by the global 5G rollout, maintain an edge in ubiquitous coverage and high-speed connectivity, particularly in less-developed Wi-Fi ecosystems.

Despite this, Wi-Fi’s cost-effectiveness, ease of deployment in public and private spaces, and technological advancements position it as a complementary, if not competing, force. Key players like WBA must continue bridging the gap by focusing on interoperability and strategic collaboration with cellular networks to realize a truly connected future. This competitive interplay highlights how both technologies will likely co-evolve, addressing unique use cases and driving innovation in tandem.

The WBA Industry Report 2025 can be downloaded at the following link: https://wballiance.com/wba-industry-report-2025/