NEW YORK, August 16, 2026 — Primary Research Group has published the Survey
of Academic Library Technology Leadership: Wi-Fi Access and Bandwidth
Plans. Drawing on 33 academic institutions, the study examines bandwidth
changes, Wi-Fi reliability, high-density access points, monitoring tools,
funding cycles, emerging-technology strain, and two-year expansion plans.
The report is designed for library directors, campus network teams,
facilities planners, technology officers, consultants, and vendors
benchmarking wireless capacity and investment needs.
Selected findings
• Although 84.85% rate Wi-Fi reliability excellent or good, 48.48% still
report connection or availability problems sometimes, often, or too
frequently.
• Only 36.36% increased bandwidth over the past two years. Public
institutions were nearly four times as likely as private institutions to
expand capacity, 52.63% versus 14.28%.
• Dedicated access points for high-density study areas are fully or
partially available at 60.60% of institutions, leaving a substantial
minority without them or unsure of network design.
• Two-thirds, 66.67%, fund networking upgrades irregularly or never; only
24.24% report a dependable annual or multiyear schedule.
• Planned expansion averages 15.42%, but the median is zero. Open-ended
responses repeatedly identify dead zones, building architecture, weak
coverage, aging access points, and the need for stronger monitoring.
The detailed breakouts help libraries test whether apparent reliability is
masking coverage, monitoring, or funding weaknesses—and build a stronger
case for targeted access-point and backbone investments.
To order or obtain more information, including a table of contents and
sample pages, visit www.primaryresearch.com.
Received on Sat Aug 15 2026 - 13:07:45 EDT