According to ABI Research, globally public Wi-Fi hotspot deployments have reached 5.69 million in 2014. Further the research firm expects the public Wi-Fi hotspot deployments by mobile and fixed-line carriers as well as third-party service provider to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.2 percent to reach 13.3 million by 2020.
As per the research firm, currently, telecom operators are making significant changes in their strategy governing Wi-Fi deployments. For example, Tomizone in the United States has shifted its business strategy away from the residential broadband Wi-Fi market to an enterprise-focus Wi-Fi solution service for transportation, retail, and accommodation. The cost of sales with low return on investment on residential Wi-Fi has led mobile operators to rethink their Wi-Fi public hotspot deployment strategies. Several operators, such as China Telecom and British Telecom, have either slowed down their deployments or chosen to enter partnerships with third-party operators such as Fon.
ABI Research states that the year 2014 saw significant increase in Wi-Fi deployments with service providers including ETECSA (Cuba), Togo Telecom, and Singtel (Singapore) launching public Wi-Fi access in 2014. By and large the operators are looking at Wi-Fi hotspots as a platform to offload mobile data traffic, particularly in crowded areas. Further, with the introduction of a Wi-Fi and wireless data combo service package, customers can expect an automatic switch from mobile data transmission to Wi-Fi.
