New research suggests the number of carrier-grade Wi-Fi hotspots will skyrocket to reach 15 million by the end of 2018, according to telecompetitor.com.
A report from Berg Insight shows that more than seven million hotspots were deployed last year, with this figure expected to be lifted by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5 per cent over the next five years.
Berg says the explosion in mobile devices has fuelled the interest in public Wi-Fi networks. Once a must-have among coffee shops, schools and restaurants, hotspots can now be found in sports grounds, parks and even train stations.
Telecom operators have looked to provide more carrier-grade access points after seeing a spike in the number of devices logging onto wireless internet.
The same report predicts the number of mobile devices using these connections to rise from the 1.5 billion last year to more than four billion by the end of 2018.
“The challenge for mobile operators is to integrate Wi-Fi with the mobile network in a way that enables control over the network selection and connection process,” said Andre Maim, a senior analyst at Berg.
Cited by mobilitytechzone.com, he said this will only gain more importance as people expect to see carrier-grade access points welcoming them at certain spots.
