North America is the world leader in 6 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum adoption, according to Ookla’s Global State of Wi-Fi 2026 report released this week. The achievement is credited to early spectrum allocation, aggressive deployment of next-generation equipment, and strong support from broadband providers.

The share of Wi-Fi users connecting via the 6 GHz band in North America surged from 2.2% to 13.8% between the first quarters of 2024 and 2026 — a more than 500% increase in just two years. The region’s early lead stems largely from a 2020 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision to allocate 1,200 MHz of 6 GHz spectrum (5925-7125 MHz) for unlicensed use, giving U.S. and Canadian broadband providers a significant head start over other regions.

That spectrum availability spurred substantial investment in Wi-Fi infrastructure. According to ABI Research data cited in the Ookla report, shipments of 6 GHz-enabled Wi-Fi chipsets in North America grew nearly 500%, from 41.8 million units in 2022 to 202.8 million units in 2025. Chipset shipments are forecast to reach 515.2 million units by 2030.

As 6 GHz adoption has climbed, usage of older Wi-Fi bands has declined. By 2026’s first quarter, the 5 GHz band represented 69.0% of Wi-Fi traffic in the U.S., while the legacy 2.4 GHz band had fallen to 17.2%.

North America also leads globally in Wi-Fi 7 adoption, with 6.8% of regional samples using the technology as of the first quarter this year. In the U.S. specifically, Wi-Fi 7 accounted for 7.2% of samples. Wi-Fi 6 remained the dominant standard in the region, accounting for 57.5% of users.

Several major U.S. broadband providers have been early movers in deploying Wi-Fi 7 equipment. Charter Communications and Frontier Communications were among the first to bundle Wi-Fi 7 routers with broadband plans. Among U.S. operators, CenturyLink recorded the highest Wi-Fi 7 penetration at 14.7%, followed by AT&T Fiber at 10.5% and Spectrum at 6.6%.

The momentum shows no signs of slowing. In the first quarter of this year, Wi-Fi 7 devices already accounted for roughly a third of all 6 GHz Wi-Fi traffic in the region, up from 16.5% just a year prior.