Additionally, 28% of organizations surveyed have already deployed AI workloads, and that percentage is estimated to climb to 79% by 2027. Some 29% will be in pilot stage, and 22% are planning deployment over the next 12 months.
“This rapid trajectory further highlights that AI deployment is indeed the defining use case for next-generation wireless infrastructure,” the Cisco study asserted.
“While core use cases such as wireless for physical security are already widely deployed, the next phase of wireless growth is being driven by emerging applications that depend on high-performing, resilient networks. Organizations are increasingly piloting or planning wireless investments to support autonomous systems and robotics, smart facilities and energy management, space analytics, and immersive collaboration,” the study found.
The 6 GHz opportunity
One wireless advancement that is being used to handle AI and other capacity challenges is the addition of the 6 GHz band added by Wi-Fi 6E, “and utilization further improved with Wi-Fi 7,” Cisco stated. “Organizations are using it to solve capacity and congestion issues (46%), enable high-bandwidth applications (32%), and support AI workloads (31%). And the research shows that those adopting this added spectrum are seeing strong benefits.”
“Organizations already deploying 6 GHz show almost double the rate of AI applications and workloads (45%) compared to non-adopters (26%),” the study reported.
“It’s no surprise that Cisco telemetry highlights a 60% increase in 6 GHz clients went live in 2025. Wireless professionals are seeing the 6 GHz opportunity and are helping their organizations,” the study found.
