The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) has announced the release of its new report, “Connectivity Strategies for Smart Multi-Dwelling Units (MDUs): Convergence for Connected Living at Scale”.
The report provides a clear, standards-based blueprint for transforming residential properties into scalable, secure and fully connected smart communities. As MDUs contend with rising device density, expanding IoT ecosystems and growing resident expectations, the report recommends fully managed, open-standards-driven architectures as the foundation for delivering scalable, enterprise-grade performance, security and long-term operational value.
MDUs have become an increasingly common accommodation option for individuals and families. For example, the 2021 U.S. Census recorded that just under 25% of the population lived in MDUs consisting of four or more units. This expansion, combined with increasing resident expectations and a growing number of managed service providers serving the sector, is driving rapid growth in the MDU connectivity market. Shipments of Wi-Fi access points to MDUs are forecast to more than double from 1.2 million units in 2025 to 2.6 million by 2030. While Wi-Fi 6 currently dominates deployments, Wi-Fi 7 is expected to overtake it by 2027. (ABI Research: Wi-Fi Access Point Shipments to the MDU Vertical World Markets, Forecast: 2024 to 2030)
Drawing on industry collaboration across operators, property owners, technology vendors and service providers, the report addresses the growing fragmentation in MDU connectivity, where proprietary solutions, inconsistent standards and uncoordinated wireless deployments are limiting scalability and reliability. It outlines how convergence across Wi-Fi, IoT and property management systems can shift connectivity from a cost center into a strategic, revenue-generating asset supporting premium SLA-based services while reducing operational overheads. For consumers, convergence will improve performance, reliability and enable features such seamless onboarding and home automation.