Cisco has provided an update on their Global Mobile Traffic Forecast, and we have taken the opportunity to select some key findings around Wi-Fi that might be of interest to you. As you can see from the report data, offload continues to be a significant driver for the growth of WiFi in the (mobile) industry and is therefore also key for the convergence of voice and data services.
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- More traffic was offloaded from cellular networks (on to Wi-Fi) than remained on cellular networks in 2016. Mobile offload exceeded cellular traffic by a significant margin in 2016. Sixty percent of total mobile data traffic was offloaded onto the fixed network through Wi-Fi or femtocell in 2016.
- Of all IP traffic (fixed and mobile) in 2021, 50% will be Wi-Fi, 30% will be wired, and 20% will be mobile.
- As a percentage of total mobile data traffic from all mobile-connected devices, mobile offload increases from 60 percent (10.7 exabytes/month) in 2016 to 63 percent (83.6 exabytes/month) by 2021. Offload volume is determined by smartphone penetration, dual-mode share of handsets, percentage of home-based mobile Internet use, and percentage of dual-mode smartphone owners with Wi-Fi fixed Internet access at home.
- Some have speculated that Wi-Fi offload will be less relevant after 4G networks are in place because of the faster speeds and more abundant bandwidth. However, 4G networks have attracted high-usage devices such as advanced smartphones and tablets, and now 4G plans are subject to data caps similar to 3G plans. For these reasons, Wi-Fi offload is higher on 4G networks than on lower-speed networks, now and in the future according to our projections.
- Wi-Fi access has had widespread acceptance by MNOs globally, and it has evolved as a complementary network for traffic offload purposes—offloading from expensive cellular networks on to lower-cost-per-bit Wi-Fi networks. If we draw a parallel from data to voice, we can foresee a similar evolution where VoWiFi is evolving as a supplement to cellular voice, extending the coverage of cellular networks through Wi-Fi for voice within the buildings and other areas that have a wider and more optimum access to Wi-Fi hotspots.
- Besides mainstream mobile devices, billions of IoT connections will be added over next 5 years. These connections are predominantly either on Wi-Fi and/or on cellular networks.
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