Eighty-six per cent of broadband data use in US households will be on Wi-Fi devices by 2017, according to a new market report.
The report, entitled ‘U.S. Home Broadband & Wi-Fi Usage Forecast, 2012-2017’, found that Wi-Fi will account for more than 75 per cent of total bandwidth by 2015, up from 55 per cent in 2011.
Bandwidth usage for the heaviest users is expected to rise from 390GB per month this year to almost 440GB per month in 2015, with video being the primary driver for the increase.
According to iGR-inc.com, the increase of home demand has far reaching ramifications for the mobile industry too.
Matt Vartabedian, iGR’s vice president of the wireless and mobile research service, said that Wi-Fi usage in the home was creating a culture where consumers expected high-speeds at all time.
“Internet and data access is inextricably woven into the personal, social and business fabric of today’s life,” he commented.
“And Wi-Fi is setting expectations by which consumers will judge the performance of 4G, HSPA+ and LTE networks, devices and services,” he added.
Telecompetitor.com reported that smartphones users were the main driver behind increased Wi-Fi usage while older users were the least likely to utilise the technology.
