Cisco's Wi-Fi 7 Surge: Q2 WLAN Market Up 16% YoY

Cisco's lower prices have led to a surge in Wi-Fi 7 adoption, with the WLAN market growing 16% YoY in 2Q 2025. CommScope and Ubiquiti both saw WLAN revenue growth of over 70% YoY, while North America expanded by over 20%. Public Cloud-managed WLAN grew faster than the overall market, and acquisition activity in the IT equipment sector will have impacts on the WLAN market in 3Q 2025.

The enterprise class Wireless LAN (WLAN) market experienced a significant upturn in the second quarter of 2025, with revenue growing by 16% year-over-year (YoY), according to a recent report from Dell'Oro Group [1]. This robust growth is largely attributed to Cisco's strategic pricing of Wi-Fi 7 access points (APs), which were priced significantly lower than Wi-Fi 6E when it was first introduced.

Siân Morgan, Research Director at Dell'Oro Group, commented, "Cisco's average Wi-Fi 7 AP price was kept significantly below the price of Wi-Fi 6E when it was first introduced. This was a catalyst for adoption in the second quarter, encouraging the market transition to the latest Wi-Fi standard." [1]

Key highlights from the report include:
- CommScope and Ubiquiti both reported WLAN revenue growth of over 70% YoY, indicating strong performance from these vendors.
- North America led the regional expansion with over 20% growth, driven by increasing demand for advanced wireless networking solutions.
- Public Cloud-managed WLAN grew at a faster pace than the overall market, attributed to the recurring nature of license fees associated with these services.
- A wave of acquisition activity in the IT equipment sector is expected to influence the WLAN market in the third quarter of 2025.

The Dell'Oro Group Wireless LAN Quarterly Report provides comprehensive coverage of the enterprise outdoor and indoor markets, wireless LAN controllers and licenses, and various wireless standards, including 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6 and 6E), and 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) [2].

References:
[1] https://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/Ciscos+Lower+Prices+Lead+to+Wi-Fi+7+Surge%2C+According+to+DellOro+Group/25300361.html
[2] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ciscos-lower-prices-lead-to-wi-fi-7-surge-according-to-delloro-group-302547181.html