New Report Emphasizes Importance of Unlicensed Spectrum

The use of spectrum for businesses has expanded rapidly since the 6 GHz spectrum band was set aside for unlicensed use by the Federal Communications Commission.

On April 23, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission voted to set aside 1,200 megahertz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use.  ABI Research’s May 2026 report, “Enterprise Wi-Fi Innovation and Future Spectrum Allocation,” explains the exponential growth since the FCC’s action that benefits consumers and businesses using unlicensed spectrum.

According to the report, there has been rapid market adoption of 6 GHz Wi-Fi devices since the FCC set aside the spectrum.  Chipsets enabled with 6 GHz increased from 200 million in 2020 to 1.1 billion in 2025 and are projected to reach 2.6 billion in 2030.  Large business enterprises, which often have tens of thousands of clients daily, connect to several thousand applications.  The Wi-Fi connections also enable employees and customers to use their own devices to offload data use on their mobile devices.

However, while the U.S. has expanded the use of unlicensed spectrum, allowing users to further the use of the 6 GHz band, the report notes that countries in Europe and Asia have failed to keep pace, preventing economic growth and forcing reliance on 5G wireless technologies.  In China, businesses are prevented from leveraging the advantages of permissionless innovation spurred by unlicensed Wi-Fi, while “the U.S. enterprise experience with 6 GHz Wi-Fi stands as strong and persuasive evidence of the benefits of opening the full 6 GHz band.”

This report spotlights not only the benefits of Wi-Fi but also why the U.S. must remain firm on maintaining the 6 GHz band as an unlicensed band for Wi-Fi innovation at the World Radio Conference in 2027, when global leaders will decide the future of spectrum around the world.