Spanish telecommunications operator Movistar has begun quietly distributing free Router Movistar WiFi 7 upgrades to select fiber broadband subscribers, waiving its customary 60-euro hardware renewal charge.
The targeted promotion surfaced in September 2026 inside the Mi Movistar customer management app, where eligible accounts receive a personalized renewal notification listing the new gateway at zero euros. Movistar has not made the rollout universal, nor has it published explicit qualification benchmarks. Community forum discussions suggest subscribers still operating older Wi-Fi 5 hardware—such as the legacy Home Gateway Unit (HGU)—appear to be primary candidates, though eligibility remains inconsistent across accounts with identical service tiers. The carrier confirmed that subscribers who do not see the zero-euro price in their account will not receive retroactive refunds if they order through the standard 60-euro checkout path.
Hardware specifications and port layout
The Router Movistar WiFi 7 serves as an integrated optical network terminal and residential gateway designed to succeed the operator's previous Smart WiFi 6 unit. According to Movistar, the newer hardware delivers up to 70 percent higher throughput capacity and reduces local network latency by up to 50 percent compared to its predecessor. On the radio side, the gateway features an internal 10-antenna array spanning the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands, alongside WPA3 security.
Physical connectivity includes an integrated fiber port, three Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, and a single 10GbE port to accommodate multi-gigabit connections. Local mesh expansion relies on the Wi-Fi EasyMesh standard, allowing the gateway to pair with Movistar's compatible wireless extenders under a unified network management umbrella. The operator states that the chassis uses 65 percent post-consumer recycled materials and draws approximately 9 percent less power during standard operation than the previous-generation device.
Phased deployment and subscriber impact
Accepting the upgrade does not alter customer monthly pricing or contracted fiber speeds, with Movistar estimating self-installation at roughly ten minutes using existing fiber cabling. RUSSPAIN reported that the rollout is proceeding in phased tiers rather than through an open hardware refresh campaign, a tactic increasingly favored by European broadband providers seeking to curb customer churn while managing hardware inventory and deployment costs.
By quietly delivering the Router Movistar WiFi 7 to select customers without an upfront cost, the provider is establishing a hardware foundation for multi-gigabit traffic demands without bearing the immediate expense of a network-wide fleet replacement.
