Nokia expands Wi-Fi 7 access globally with launch of Beacon 4 and 9 routers

In a bold bid to mass-market next-generation home broadband, Nokia has officially launched the Beacon 4 and Beacon 9, two Wi-Fi 7 gateways positioned to deliver multi-gigabit speeds at accessible price points. The new devices—targeted at entry-level and mid-tier markets respectively—are designed to meet the growing connectivity needs of streaming-heavy, device-dense smart homes.

Announced today by Nokia Fixed Networks, this strategic expansion into Wi-Fi 7 is being closely watched by service providers and investors alike. It represents a significant pivot not just in consumer tech, but also in the competitive dynamics of broadband equipment and fixed access services globally. The launch builds on Nokia’s existing Wi-Fi 7 portfolio, which already includes the high-performance Beacon 19 and Beacon 24, offering operators a complete ecosystem of performance tiers powered by its Corteca software.

What Is Nokia’s Strategy Behind the Beacon 4 and 9 Launch?

The timing of Nokia’s move appears calibrated for maximum impact. With fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) rollouts expanding rapidly—especially in XGS-PON and 25G PON networks—the in-home bottleneck has shifted from the last-mile infrastructure to the final wireless hop. Wi-Fi 6, while still dominant, is struggling to keep pace with real-time use cases involving 8K streaming, low-latency gaming, and remote work concurrency.

Beacon 4, a dual-band gateway, offers 3.6Gbps throughput, while the more advanced tri-band Beacon 9 can deliver up to 9.4Gbps, powered by Wi-Fi 7’s 320MHz channel bandwidth and Multi-Link Operation (MLO) capabilities. Both models support Nokia’s Corteca software stack, enabling deep integration of device management, customer analytics, and monetizable value-added services through an app marketplace.

According to Dirk Verhaegen, General Manager of Broadband Devices at Nokia, these launches are not just about bandwidth—they’re about making future-ready connectivity both affordable and manageable at scale.

Why Is Wi-Fi 7 So Crucial for Service Providers and Consumers?

Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) is shaping up to be more than a technical upgrade. It allows for lower latency, improved spectrum utilization, and significantly higher data rates—essential for dense device environments. Importantly, it also enables operators to meet service-level guarantees inside the home, a growing area of concern as competition among ISPs intensifies.

As Alzbeta Fellenbaum, Omdia’s Practice Leader for Service Provider–Consumer, noted in analysis accompanying the launch, operators will need to balance accessibility with monetization. Making Wi-Fi 7 broadly available, while preserving room for premium differentiation—via mesh nodes, gaming prioritization, or smart security features—will likely determine uptake rates in competitive markets.

This aligns with broader industry shifts: operators are moving from dumb-pipe delivery toward managed experience provisioning, where software-defined networking (SDN) and smart gateway orchestration allow revenue generation beyond the subscription tier.

What Makes Corteca Central to Nokia’s Wi-Fi Business Model?

At the heart of the Beacon 4 and 9’s potential lies Corteca, Nokia’s cloud-native software framework that turns broadband hardware into a smart services platform. Corteca not only enables self-optimizing networks and AI-powered diagnostics, but also opens a new layer of operator monetization—think tiered service bundles, parental control subscriptions, and QoS-driven packages.

Critically, the app marketplace embedded in Corteca could emerge as a recurring revenue stream for Nokia and its operator partners, potentially changing the economics of home broadband by transforming routers from cost centers into service hubs.

This approach also positions Nokia against players like Plume, Calix, and CommScope, who are all pushing software-plus-hardware propositions to ISPs. However, Nokia’s scale, brand equity, and direct ties to network infrastructure give it a strategic advantage—especially in markets where fixed and wireless convergence is becoming the norm.

How Are Markets and Analysts Reacting to Nokia’s Wi-Fi Push?

From an investor sentiment perspective, Nokia’s expansion into affordable Wi-Fi 7 gear is being viewed as a long-term play on smart home infrastructure, operator vertical integration, and software-led transformation.

While Nokia Corporation’s (NYSE: NOK) share price has traded within a narrow band for much of Q2 2025, institutional interest in its Fixed Networks and Software segments is beginning to pick up. FII flows into telecom equipment plays have increased modestly following increased European fiber CAPEX forecasts and India’s BharatNet Phase 3 upgrades—both potential Nokia contract avenues.

Sentiment remains neutral-positive, with analysts highlighting the value of Nokia’s end-to-end broadband stack as a key differentiator. The introduction of Wi-Fi 7 hardware that dovetails directly with optical line terminal (OLT) strategies provides an integrated architecture that few rivals can match.

How Will Beacon 4 and 9 Shape the Competitive Landscape?

In markets like the U.S., Canada, Germany, and India—where service providers are under pressure to enhance customer experience while maintaining ARPU—Nokia’s Beacon range gives operators a ready-made answer to complaints about slow, unreliable Wi-Fi.

By pricing Beacon 4 and 9 below existing Wi-Fi 7 benchmarks, Nokia also undercuts early movers like Netgear and TP-Link, whose premium models remain out of reach for many mass-market consumers. With Nokia’s deep operator distribution network, especially in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe, the potential for high-volume Beacon 4 deployments is especially notable.

From a channel perspective, Nokia is also expected to bundle these gateways with fiber rollouts, fixed-wireless access (FWA) upgrades, and smart home bundles, driving attach rates across its global accounts.

What’s Next for Nokia’s Home Connectivity Vision?

Nokia is reportedly preparing additional Corteca-enabled devices for mesh networking scenarios, enterprise-grade in-home solutions, and FWA-specific routers. Industry watchers expect 2026 to bring a new class of AI-optimized Wi-Fi gateways, possibly integrating local inferencing chips, automatic parental controls, and advanced network slicing for bandwidth prioritization.

Analysts also anticipate Nokia will explore OEM agreements with ISPs for rebranded Beacon hardware embedded into telco-branded service tiers—similar to Comcast’s xFi or Jio’s AirFiber model.

Given Nokia’s ability to span fiber infrastructure, cloud software, and consumer-premise equipment, its platform economics may unlock a larger portion of the total broadband value chain—an outcome that could shift medium-term valuation narratives for the company.

Reframing the Home Gateway: From Utility Box to Smart Service Enabler

With the launch of Beacon 4 and 9, Nokia is not just selling routers—it is enabling telcos to redefine what broadband delivery means inside the home. Affordable Wi-Fi 7 hardware, combined with a flexible, app-driven software stack, brings Nokia’s decades of telecom expertise into the everyday household—at a time when demands on in-home connectivity have never been higher.

In a market rapidly evolving toward edge intelligence, zero-touch provisioning, and real-time service differentiation, Nokia’s Corteca-powered Beacons may emerge as the silent workhorses of a smarter digital future.