ASA Bans EE’s Misleading Wi-Fi 7 Router Ads in the UK

EE’s Claims of Wi-Fi 7 Benefits Challenged by Rivals

LONDON – The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a series of television, radio, social media and digital poster advertisements from UK mobile operator EE, after finding they made misleading claims about the company’s new Wi-Fi 7 router and wireless booster.

EE launched the Wi-Fi 7 capable hardware last September, touting it as a major leap forward in home wireless performance. “When everyone’s caning the broadband, Wi-Fi 7 on EE makes every device work better, even yours,” boasted one ad. Another claimed “XBOX PLAYS BETTER ON WIFI 7”.

However, rival operators Vodafone and CommunityFibre, along with 19 members of the public, challenged the ads, arguing that most devices currently in homes do not support the Wi-Fi 7 standard needed to see the biggest improvements.

ASA: EE’s Evidence Fails to Substantiate Claims

In its ruling, the ASA noted that while EE’s testing showed its new Wi-Fi 7 router and extender delivered faster, more consistent speeds to Wi-Fi 5 and 6 laptops compared to older equipment, the limited scope of devices tested was inadequate to support the broad claims made in the ads.

“The evaluation did not encompass a broad range of devices, such as smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, gaming consoles or smart home gadgets,” stated the ASA. “The tests also did not evaluate device performance while multiple devices were being used simultaneously.”

The regulator concluded that specific references to improved Xbox and Google device performance were unsubstantiated, as those products were not included in EE’s testing and do not currently support Wi-Fi 7.

EE Responds, Vows to Update Ads

In response to the ruling, an EE spokesperson said: “The ASA agreed that our testing proved our Wi-Fi 7 router and Smart Hub Pro allowed faster, more consistent and more reliable speeds around the home for Wi-Fi 7 enabled devices and older devices with Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6. However, they considered we should have tested on a greater range of devices.”

The company said it takes compliance seriously and will update its advertising in line with the ASA’s findings. The banned ads must not appear again in their current form.

Experts: Ruling Highlights Wi-Fi 7 Marketing Challenges

Industry analysts say the case illustrates the difficulties of marketing cutting-edge wireless technologies like Wi-Fi 7 when most consumer devices have yet to adopt the standard.

“The full benefits of Wi-Fi 7 are still largely theoretical for the majority of households,” said Jane Hogarth, Principal Analyst at Omnia Research. “Until Wi-Fi 7 reaches critical mass in client devices, blanket claims about its superiority will be hard to defend.”

Hogarth expects it will take 12-18 months before a significant number of Wi-Fi 7 smartphones, laptops and smart home devices hit the market, allowing consumers to more fully leverage the new technology. In the meantime, she advises broadband providers to focus their messaging on overall network improvements and be cautious about hyping Wi-Fi 7 specifically.