Wi-Fi 7: Cable Vs. Fiber ISP Speed Face Off, Adoption Rates

Wi-Fi 7 is the latest wireless networking standard and offers benefits over legacy Wi-Fi. Which ISPs have the best Wi-Fi 7 performance, and which are leading its adoption? Here’s some data.

The Wi-Fi Alliance announced the certification of the latest Wi-Fi standard, Wi-Fi 7, in January 2024.

The latest standard delivers several advancements in wireless technology, some of which include support for the 6GHz radio band and provide multi-gigabit speeds and high throughput via 320MHz channels; Multi-Link Operation (MLO), allowing client devices to transmit and receive data over multiple links that increase throughput; and 4K QAM, which can provide 20 percent higher transmission rates over 1024 QAM (the data transmission technology in Wi-Fi 6 routers and access points).

Now a new report from Ookla shows the differences in Wi-Fi 7 speeds and adoption rates between cable and fiber ISPs.

Wi-Fi Speeds For All ISPs

The report looked at Wi-Fi 7 median download throughput across all ISPs. Some key findings:

In a request for comment by MES Computing, CenturyLink (Lumen) said about the report’s findings: “We appreciate the report and analysis which underscores a known reality: Wi-Fi 7 performance is only as strong as the broadband network behind it. Many CenturyLink customers are still served over legacy copper infrastructure, which limits achievable speeds — regardless of the router’s capabilities. That’s exactly why Lumen is aggressively investing in fiber—to deliver multi-gig connectivity that fully unlocks next-gen Wi-Fi performance. In areas where fiber is available, our customers are already seeing the difference. We’re committed to expanding access, upgrading our footprint, and being transparent about our progress.”

For upload throughput, the report found that while upload speed increased with every new generation of Wi-Fi, upload throughput varied more among ISPs than download throughput.

The report looked at the top 10 ISPs—three offering cable broadband, seven offering fiber. The median upload speed of the three top cable internet service providers: Cox Communications, Spectrum/Charter and Xfinity/Comcast was 64.40 Mbps. The median upload speed of the seven top fiber internet providers (AT&T Fiber, CenturyLink, Frontier Fiber, Google Fiber, MetroNet, Verizon, and Ziply Fiber) was an impressive 595.75 Mbps.

In a statement to MES Computing, Danny Bowman, Spectrum’s EVP of product, said in response to the report’s findings: “We currently offer symmetrical speeds in a growing number of the markets we serve, which will continue to expand as we complete our ongoing network evolution project across our entire service area. Today, the majority of applications require robust download speeds, which we deliver reliably to all our customers. As new applications drive increased need for faster upload speeds, our network will meet those demands.”

MES Computing also contacted executives from Cox Communications and Xfinity/Comcast and have yet to receive a response.

While fiber-offering ISPs have faster Wi-Fi 7 throughput, cable companies are leading Wi-Fi 7 adoption, the report said.

Most ISP customers receive their routers bundled with their service. One of the leading cable ISPs, Spectrum/Charter, began offering customers a Wi-Fi 7 router late in 2024, and the company said it has tripled its Wi-Fi 7 adoption over the next two quarters, saying it is the fastest-growing Wi-Fi 7 provider as of first-quarter 2025.

Still, according to Ookla’s report, Wi-Fi 7 adoption is less than 2 percent. One factor in the lag in adoption may be the fact that there still isn’t widespread availability of Wi-Fi 7- compatible client devices to leverage the true speeds of the latest wireless standard.