TP-Link begins Wi-Fi 7 manufacturing in India after 6 GHz band opens
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
TP-Link India on Monday, 25 May announced the start of local manufacturing of its Wi-Fi 7 product portfolio in India, making it one of the first global networking brands to localise production of the next-generation wireless standard in the country. The move follows the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) decision to delicense the lower 6 GHz spectrum band, unlocking 500 MHz of spectrum in the 5925–6425 MHz band for licence-exempt use.
The First Product and What It Signals
The company has launched domestic production beginning with the Omada EAP770 enterprise access point, a flagship Wi-Fi 7 device designed for high-density enterprise environments. The rollout is directly enabled by the DoT notification issued in January 2025, which opened the lower 6 GHz band — a prerequisite for Wi-Fi 7 to operate at full capacity in India.
This comes amid a broader government push to deepen domestic electronics manufacturing and reduce import dependence in the telecom hardware segment.
Local Manufacturing Targets
According to TP-Link India, nearly 92% of its product portfolio sold in India is already manufactured locally through domestic EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Services) partners. The company aims to raise this share to 96–97% over the next three years, signalling a sustained commitment to in-country production rather than a one-off localisation exercise.
The company also indicated plans to expand its locally manufactured Wi-Fi 7 range across indoor, outdoor, and in-wall access points, with an eye on serving select international markets from Indian facilities in the future.
What the Industry Stands to Gain
Wi-Fi 7 technology promises significantly higher network capacity, lower latency, and improved reliability compared with Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E. Sectors expected to benefit include education, healthcare, hospitality, retail, and large enterprise campuses — environments where simultaneous high-bandwidth connections are increasingly the norm.
The technology is also seen as critical infrastructure for cloud computing, AI-driven applications, and expanding Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems, areas where India's enterprise demand is growing rapidly.
What the Company Said
Sanjay Sehgal, MD and CEO of TP-Link India, said the localisation of Wi-Fi 7 products reflects the company's long-term commitment to India's digital infrastructure ambitions and the vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'. He added that the opening of the 6 GHz band marks a transformative phase for enterprise connectivity, with the company investing further in manufacturing capabilities, research and development, and partner development.
Broader Context
India's delicensing of the lower 6 GHz band places it alongside markets such as the United States, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia that have already made this spectrum available, giving enterprise deployments access to cleaner, less congested airwaves. Notably, TP-Link's move is among the earliest by a global networking brand to translate the regulatory change into actual domestic hardware production. As more OEMs follow, India's role in the global networking supply chain is expected to deepen.