Cable has the fastest-growing Wi-Fi 7, but Fiber has the fastest Wi-Fi 7 speeds

Wi-Fi 7 has been around for over a year. If you haven’t noticed this latest generation of Wi-Fi technology, it might be because it is still just gaining a foothold. But even for those who haven’t yet heard of Wi-Fi 7, one can surmise that a new technology generation will have better performance than what’s come before. This article looks at the growth of Wi-Fi 7 in the United States, then compares its performance against prior Wi-Fi generations across top fixed internet service providers. Some key takeaways:

• Wi-Fi 7 adoption is less than 2 percent, according to its share of fixed samples of Speedtest user data. ISPs are beginning to include Wi-Fi 7 routers in their service bundle, which is the primary means for households to acquire routers.
• Wi-Fi 7 speed is faster, as expected, even delivering gigabit speeds for one fiber ISP. However, cable providers, which are competitive with fiber speeds on the downlink, have much slower uplink speeds and more lag on latency. Cable companies have 30 percent more of the older Wi-Fi 4 and 5 routers than fiber companies, constraining the potential customer experience.
• Net Promoter Score improves with each generation of Wi-Fi, with an immense gulf from -38 for Wi-Fi 4 to +45 for Wi-Fi 7.