Amid accusations from Bouygues Telecom that Free’s Freebox Ultra offers uncertified Wi-Fi 7, the telecom provider has introduced a crucial feature that could help secure official certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance.
Last Tuesday, Free rolled out a major server update for its Freebox devices, bringing several new features. Among them is one that directly addresses the controversy surrounding the Freebox Ultra’s Wi-Fi 7 capabilities.
The latest firmware update, version 4.9, introduces Multi-Link Operation (MLO)—a key feature required for Wi-Fi 7 certification. This move comes just months after Bouygues Telecom filed a complaint against Free, accusing the company of misleading advertising regarding its use of Wi-Fi 7 technology.
Bouygues Telecom’s Lawsuit and the Certification Debate
Back in September 2024, Bouygues Telecom took legal action against Free, arguing that the company falsely promoted Wi-Fi 7 when launching the Freebox Ultra in January 2024. At the time, neither the device nor the Wi-Fi 7 standard itself had been officially certified. By contrast, Bouygues’ Bbox Wi-Fi 7, released in early 2025, was fully certified from day one, meeting all the requirements established by the Wi-Fi Alliance.
One of the primary issues raised in the complaint was the lack of Multi-Link Operation (MLO) in the Freebox Ultra. MLO is a fundamental component of Wi-Fi 7, enabling the simultaneous use of multiple frequency bands to optimize connectivity, reduce latency, and prevent network congestion.
Freebox Ultra Moves Toward Compliance
With the activation of MLO in the latest update, Free is taking a significant step toward aligning its Freebox Ultra with Wi-Fi 7 certification standards. To obtain official approval from the Wi-Fi Alliance, a device must meet several technical criteria, including:
- 320 MHz channel support in the 6 GHz band
- Implementation of MLO for enhanced connection stability
- Integration of Multi-RU and Puncturing technologies to improve resilience against interference (Free has not disclosed whether it supports these features)
- 4K-QAM modulation, which enables higher data rates
- Optimized block acknowledgment (Block Ack) frames for improved performance
Despite this update, the Freebox Ultra remains uncertified for Wi-Fi 7 as of now. The key question is whether this technical enhancement will be enough to convince the Wi-Fi Alliance to grant official certification in the near future.
