Wifi Revolution

The WiFi (News - Alert) hotspot market is growing and is marked by renewed interest from communication providers and increased usage among both business and other users, according to market research firm In-Stat.

 

In-Stat (News - Alert) estimated that hotspot usage will increase in 2009 by 47 percent, bringing total worldwide connects to 1.2 billion, a new report found.

 

“A market that appeared to be languishing due to revenue shortcomings has found a renewed life force,” said Frank Dickson, In-Stat analyst, in a statement. “Mobile operators have become increasingly involved in the hotspot market globally as they assess the potential of hotspots to offload wireless data traffic from overburdened 3G networks. Also, mass market adoption of WiFi-enabled smartphones has significantly altered hotspot usage, with these devices accounting for the majority of access sessions in some locations.”

 

The In-Stat report found out that total worldwide hotspot venues will reach 245,000 locations in 2009. Also, AT&T (News - Alert) is on course to experience 500 percent usage growth for 2008 vs. 2009.

 

According to the report, Asia-Pacific will experience the greatest growth in venue deployments over the next few years, largely driven by large-scale deployments in China. Also, survey results suggest that security concerns by individuals, not corporate users, are limiting hotspot usage.

 

The research, “WiFi Hotspots: Cellular Handsets and Portable Devices Drive a Market Renaissance,” highlighted forecasts of mobile handsets with embedded WiFi sales through 2013. It also forecast hotspot venue and usage growth for North America, Asia and Europe through 2013 and revealed results and analysis of an In-Stat consumer survey. The report provided segmentation and deployment analysis, profiles of major players including AT&T, Swisscom, Boingo, iPass (News - Alert) and WeRoam and discussion of emerging applications.

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