For years, WiFi was simply the connection between users and the wired core where the real processing happened.
WiFi 7 changes that, writes Martin May, business development: networking at Duxbury.
Access points can now deliver multi-gigabit throughput with predictable low latency and active interference management, allowing the edge of the network to handle genuine workloads rather than acting as a weak link.
That is the shift South African enterprises should begin planning for. The WiFi Alliance certification programme for WiFi 7 went live in January last year, and the IEEE ratified the 802.11be standard in July, making the technology real and ready for deployment.
A new level of performance
Vendors often quote theoretical peak rates of several tens of gigabits per second because WiFi 7 doubles the channel width to 320 MHz and introduces 4096-QAM modulation.
Although the figure of “up to 46 Gbps” remains a laboratory number, it shows the performance headroom that now exists.
In more practical terms, Intel testing indicates data rates of around 5.8 Gbps under ideal conditions. Either way, this is far beyond what most existing corporate wireless networks were designed to manage.
Transformative wireless connectivity
The architectural breakthrough is Multi-Link Operation (MLO). Previous WiFi standards could use only one band at a time. WiFi 7 clients can transmit and receive across several bands simultaneously, combining capacity or using one as backup to reduce jitter and recover faster from interference.
In effect, MLO turns the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz bands into a coordinated fabric rather than three separate lanes. This enables performance that is deterministic rather than best-effort.
The 6 GHz band is central to this improvement. It provides a clean spectrum free from the congestion of older devices operating in the 2.4 and 5 GHz ranges.
In South Africa, ICASA is actively engaging with industry to open the 6 GHz band, recognising the significant economic benefits for both consumers and businesses. The policy direction is encouraging and will help local networks realise the full potential of WiFi 7.
Enter the intelligent edge
The term “intelligent edge” is becoming common because access points are evolving into small compute nodes. New WiFi 7 platforms offer more than faster physical rates.
They include additional processing power, container hosting, and local analytics so that functions such as security inspection, location services, and lightweight data analysis can run directly on or near the access point instead of constantly crossing the core network.
Enterprise vendors, such as HPE Aruba Networking, highlight enhanced edge processing along with improved capacity and IoT support in its WiFi 7 portfolio. The direction is clear: more intelligence at the edge and less dependence on central choke points.
This has a direct impact on network design and budgets. When the wireless layer can host policy, prioritise traffic accurately, and absorb bursts without collapse, there is less need to run fibre to every desk. Quality of Service in WiFi 7 is also more granular. Combined with MLO, it allows latency-sensitive applications to operate far more predictably over the air than before.
Adoption outlook
Global indicators point to strong adoption. The Dell’Oro Group expects enterprise WLAN growth in double digits this year, largely driven by WiFi 7 upgrades. The WiFi Alliance forecasts around 2.1 billion WiFi 7 devices in circulation by 2028. These trends translate into planning pressure for local campus and branch networks entering their next refresh cycle.
For South African organisations, three practical steps stand out:
- Design with 6 GHz in mind from the start. The capacity and cleanliness of the 6 GHz spectrum are where WiFi 7 truly excels. Site surveys must model materials and interference accurately, especially in buildings with concrete and steel structures.
- Move policies and analytics closer to the edge. Running inspection, prioritisation, and lightweight analytics at the access layer reduces backhaul load and improves the user experience. Short feedback loops at the edge make applications feel instant.
- Refresh client devices strategically. The full benefit of WiFi 7 arrives only when endpoints support MLO and the 6 GHz band. Plan staggered upgrades of laptops and collaboration devices to avoid stranding the network investment. Intel’s current specifications provide a realistic benchmark.
The road ahead
WiFi 7 will not replace Ethernet, but it will change how we think about the access layer. When wireless connectivity becomes reliable, predictable, and intelligent, it can carry a larger share of business workloads without adding complexity to the core.
That is the intelligent edge WiFi 7 enables, and it is where the next phase of enterprise network design will happen.