The adoption of Wi-Fi 7 promises to extend ultra-fast connections beyond the cable line, promising improved speeds, latency, and reliability. Europeans across the continent are benefitting from these improvements, but in some countries more than others.

Widespread fibre “overbuilding” has resulted in an increased choice of ISPs for consumers, intensifying competition. But, with ISPs often differentiating primarily on price, attention has turned to the role of wireless connectivity in delivering a seamless internet experience within the home.  

While connecting to Wi-Fi is second nature for most users, challenges such as signal interference, bandwidth bottlenecks caused by older routers, and larger house sizes have left many homes unable to take full advantage of their multi-gigabit capabilities. As a result, modern Wi-Fi solutions have become as vital to broadband quality as the fibre cables themselves.

The rollout of Wi-Fi 7 represents the next leap in wireless technology, and early adopters in Europe are already showcasing its potential. This seventh-generation Wi-Fi standard delivers substantial improvements in speed, supports higher data loads from connected devices, and reduces lag for better experiences.  

France leads the Wi-Fi 7 adoption charge  

France is leading the European charge when it comes to deploying Wi-Fi 7, with a 1.5% share of connections now utilising the standard, according to Speedtest Intelligence data from December 2024. This puts France comfortably ahead of Switzerland (0.9%), Denmark (0.6%), and the UK (0.35%) in adoption rates.  

France’s major providers — such as Iliad’s Free — have bundled Wi-Fi 7 routers with premium broadband packages, offering impressive provisioned speeds of up to 8 Gbps symmetrical, complemented by mesh systems for expansive coverage throughout the home.  

Consumers have already reported dramatic performance increases. Median download speeds on Wi-Fi 7 routers in France surpassed 1.1 Gbps by the end of 2024—almost double the performance achieved on Wi-Fi 6, and a far cry from legacy Wi-Fi standards like Wi-Fi 4 and 5.  

The Nordics: Leading modern Wi-Fi adoption

While France claims the crown for Wi-Fi 7 penetration, Nordic countries — including Iceland, Norway, and Sweden — lead on overall adoption when factoring in Wi-Fi 6 alongside Wi-Fi 7.

Roughly 46% of Nordic connections now rely on modern Wi-Fi standards, solidifying the region’s impressive track record for early tech adoption. However, the same cannot be said of all fibre-rich nations.

Spain, Portugal, and Ireland lag in their adoption of advanced Wi-Fi equipment despite extensive coverage of multi-gigabit fibre networks. Legacy Wi-Fi standards make up as much as 84% of residential broadband connections in Ireland, frustratingly bottlenecking the speeds achievable through fibre infrastructure.  

Legacy Wi-Fi: A persistent Achilles’ heel  

Legacy Wi-Fi connections (Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5) remain stubbornly prevalent across Europe, hindering many nations from maximising their fibre investments. By the end of 2024, such connections still accounted for over 70% of broadband links in several countries with high fibre penetration.  

Spain, a leader in fibre network coverage, sees the majority of its broadband subscribers relying on outdated Wi-Fi standards incapable of handling increasingly common provisioned speeds of 5 Gbps and above.

Wi-Fi 4 — with a maximum throughput of 600 Mbps — cannot do justice to modern-day multi-gigabit connections, leaving customers to experience substandard speeds despite paying for premium broadband.

France, by contrast, has leveraged the dual advancements of fibre and Wi-Fi 7 to dominate Europe’s Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). Over half (52%) of France’s fixed broadband subscriptions now support at least 1 Gbps, while high-value customers enjoy real-world speeds that often exceed gigabit thresholds.

The answer to maximising broadband performance  

With doubled bandwidth in the 6 GHz band, and innovative features like Multi-Link Operation (MLO) enabling simultaneous transmissions over multiple bands, Wi-Fi 7 capitalises on fibre’s full potential. Notably, upload speeds — crucial for activities like video conferencing and live streaming — are nearly double on Wi-Fi 7 compared to Wi-Fi 6.  

Emerging data also highlights marked improvements in latency, an essential factor for gaming, virtual reality, and video calls.

British telecoms giant EE, a Wi-Fi 7 frontrunner, bundled the technology with their high-speed broadband packages last year. Early adopters enjoyed median download speeds of 665 Mbps and latency drops to just 17ms—a 12% latency improvement over Wi-Fi 6.  

ISPs use Wi-Fi 7 to differentiate offerings  

Providers across Europe are increasingly bundling Wi-Fi 7 routers with higher-speed broadband packages not only to justify premium prices but also to enhance user quality of experience (QoE).

With fibre rollouts closing the gap in terms of maximum achievable speeds between competing ISPs, delivering better in-home internet performance has become a key differentiator.  

Innovations like guaranteed minimum Wi-Fi speeds for every room in the house – a notable offering by EE in the UK – have enabled ISPs to monetise premium wireless solutions effectively. However, success will hinge on providers’ willingness to upgrade subscriber hardware.

The divide between fibre-rich but performance-limited countries and their higher-performing counterparts, like France and Denmark, underlines how essential modern CPE (Customer Premise Equipment) has become to the broadband experience.

The road ahead: Wi-Fi 7 opportunities

Wi-Fi 7 adoption is still in its infancy, making up less than 1% of overall connections in most European markets. Despite this, early adopters are already reporting significant uplifts in download speeds, upload speeds, and latency reductions—metrics that make a tangible impact on end-user satisfaction.  

For ISPs aiming to lead the multi-gigabit broadband market, the pathway is clear: invest in advanced routers capable of handling next-generation wireless standards. Simultaneously, transitioning subscribers from legacy Wi-Fi models to Wi-Fi 6 or 7-compatible devices will remain crucial for enhancing competitiveness.  

While Wi-Fi 7 will not immediately replace Wi-Fi 6/6E, it promises to future-proof home broadband for the next decade or more, accommodating the increasing demands of smart homes, interactive entertainment, and remote work.

ISPs that prioritise premium Wi-Fi integration in their strategies will likely emerge as winners in the highly-contested fixed broadband market.

See also: Meta announces world’s longest subsea cable project

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Tags: broadband, connectivity, europe, Networks, report, research, study, telecoms, uk, wi-fi 7