The U.S. leads with 1,300 Wi-Fi 7 patent families, outpacing China’s 786

The race to shape our wireless future just hit a major milestone. According to a new Wi-Fi 7 Patent Landscape Analysis from GreyB, the U.S. holds 1,300 patent families tied to the next-generation technology—outstripping China’s 786. Wi-Fi 7 promises blazing speeds (delivering theoretical maximum speeds of up to 46 Gbps compared to Wi-Fi 6’s maximum of 9.6 Gbps). Wi-Fi 7 also has novel features like Multi-Link Operation (MLO) and supports simultaneous data transmission across multiple frequency bands, and 4K QAM modulation that packs more data into each transmission.

While the U.S. is up with Wi-Fi 7 patents, China ahead in terms of overall filings

While the U.S. leads in Wi-Fi 7 patent filings, big-picture data from the U.S. National Science Foundation and a recent Nature feature complicates the story: China has already overtaken America in overall global patent applications and, by 2030, may outstrip the U.S. in terms of overall R&D spending. Although the U.S. currently contributes the largest share of overall R&D spending at nearly 40%—close to $995 billion in 2023 based on World Bank data—China’s investment is accelerating at a pace that could see it surpass the U.S. by the end of the decade. Already, China accounts for roughly $432 billion (17.5% of global R&D). The nation also is ahead in terms of indicators like total scientific output and the number of Ph.D.s awarded.

In GreyB’s exploration of Wi-Fi 7 patents, several players stand out—not just in raw patent volume but in strategic areas like Multi-Link Operation. China-based Huawei and San Diego–headquartered Qualcomm top the list in terms of both patent families and meeting contributions toward the IEEE 802.11be standard. Meanwhile, heavyweights such as LG, MediaTek, and Intel collectively account for more than half of all Wi-Fi 7 patent families. These filings center on high-impact capabilities, including broader channel bandwidths (up to 320 MHz), 4K QAM for increased data density, and novel power-saving features such as Restricted Target Wake Time.

An evolving wireless landscape

In any event, Wi-Fi 7 is poised to shake up the wireless landscape years after hype surrounding 5G have often failed to live up to expectations. WIRED underscores that Wi-Fi 7 “promises to significantly boost the speed and stability of your wireless connections.” The publication highlights Multi-Link Operation (MLO) as “perhaps the most exciting advance,” allowing routers and devices to “combine several frequencies across bands” for more robust performance, even in congested or interference-heavy environments. The publication also notes that “[t]he leap to 4K-QAM in Wi-Fi 7 translates to a 20 percent increase in peak performance,” hinting that bandwidth-hungry applications in AR/VR, cloud gaming, and beyond could benefit directly as more devices and networks adopt this new standard.

Wi-Fi 7 is also making a splash at CES this year with manufacturers showcasing a variety of devices equipped with functionality built on the standard, according to Tom’s Hardware. For instance, Asus showcased ROG Rapture GT-BE19000AI, an AI-powered gaming router that integrates a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for enhanced local processing and a Micro Control Unit (MCU) for improved power efficiency. Asus’s portfolio also includes the RT-BE58 GO, a dual-band Wi-Fi 7 travel router with 4G/5G support, and the ZenWiFi BD5 Outdoor, an IP65-rated outdoor extension with Power over Ethernet support. Meanwhile,  highlighted its Orbi 870 model between its existing Orbi 770 and 970 models, which offers a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 configuration with coverage up to 9,000 square feet. The Orbi 870 boasts advanced connectivity features, including a 10 Gbps WAN port and multiple 2.5 Gbps LAN ports, and is available in two-node and three-node configurations priced at $999 and $1,299, respectively.