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Wi-Fi on Track to Disrupt or Transform the Telecoms Industry(Marketwire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) PORTO, PORTUGAL -- (Marketwired) -- 11/11/14 -- Public Wi-Fi is emerging as a major force of telecoms disruption and transformation. On December 9th-10th the international Wi-Fi industry will converge on Copenhagen, Denmark for a deep-dive into the opportunities and challenges of Wi-Fi at the first global Wi-Fi Innovation Summit. "Today, Wi-Fi carries more than 80% of smartphone traffic in many Western countries and is clearly the most popular means of connectivity. Wi-Fi is a hotbed of tech innovation and new business models. It is both a threat and a new opportunity for the telecoms industry. That's what we will be focusing on at the Summit," says Claus Hetting, Chairman and Organizer of the Wi-Fi Innovation Summit. One of the biggest challenges right now is monetizing Wi-Fi. Advertising, location-based services, location analytics, consumer engagement, freemium carrier services, international roaming, and Wi-Fi offload are all part of a complex fabric of new business models. Meanwhile, more and more carriers are embracing Wi-Fi as a part of their service strategy. "Cable operators are activating home Wi-Fi routers by the millions for public access. The 'homespot' model has already disrupted the mobile market for example in France because it's a dirt-cheap way of offering huge amounts of capacity. Hotspot 2.0 and EAP-SIM for seamless connectivity is making Wi-Fi as easy to use as cellular. It's exciting times for everyone in Wi-Fi right now," says Hetting. Wi-Fi is on track to deliver gigabit speeds as vendors are taking great strides in improving Wi-Fi technology. Today, all the network and device technology is in place for carriers to include Wi-Fi as a part of their services. And the economics of mass-market Wi-Fi are so compelling that Wi-Fi is destined to become the single most important wireless network technology, Hetting says. The Wi-Fi Innovation Summit features keynotes from Everything Everywhere (UK), BT (UK), KPN (Netherlands), TeliaSonera (Denmark), and Orange (France). Other speakers include Smart City Barcelona (Spain), Deutsche Telecom (UK), and four of the world's leading telecom analysts. The Summit will also feature many promising Wi-Fi start-ups and established industry leaders in Wi-Fi networks, device solutions, and OTT technology. For program and registration see www.wifiinnovationsummit.com The Wi-Fi Innovation Summit 2014 takes place 09-10.12.2014 at the DGI-Byen Conference Center in Copenhagen, Denmark. Source: Wi-Fi Innovation Summit |