Wi-Fi 7 Set For Fast Adoption, But AI-Driven Parts Shortages Loom
Techstrong.IT, Wednesday, January 28th, 2026
Wi-Fi 7 is set for fast adoption, with industry research firm Dell'Oro Group saying enterprise buying of Wi-Fi 7 gear has climbed sharply since early 2025. Dell'Oro characterizes current Wi-Fi 7 pricing as unusually low, providing an adoption boost that could compress refresh cycles for businesses relying on Wi-Fi 6 and 6E.
Yet Dell'Oro warns that access to certain WLAN products has become less predictable, noting that component availability is a factor. The AI boom is devouring the supply of semiconductors and related parts, and wireless vendors are competing for many of the same resources.
'Lead times on some WLAN products are volatile right now,' said Sian Morgan, Research Director at Dell'Oro Group. 'If vendors can win the game of component-shortage whack-a-mole then we expect healthy market growth. Otherwise, we may see prices increase and order backlogs grow, perhaps even a rerun of the post-pandemic market upheaval.'