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82,000 Locations Worldwide Offer Hotspots For Wi-Fi Users, With 40% Of These Coming From The US

Posted on: Thursday, 23 February 2006, 12:00 CST

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c33422) has announced the addition of 3G and Wi-Fi: In Search of the Sweet Spot to their offering.

Lack of perceived value by consumers for 3G bandwidth indicates continued downward pressure on cellular data pricing, and will also dampen prospects for for-pay Wi-Fi service providers and aggregators. Nevertheless, because consumer enthusiasm for free Wi-Fi is ample, Wi-Fi hotspot operators do have an opportunity to exploit the technology's low barriers to entry and its horizontal business model.

Both cellular and Wi-Fi are currently serving mobile data users. However, so far, neither service has found the sweet spot, the perfect balance of speed, coverage, and price.

This recent report found the following:

-- Amongst Wi-Fi users, more than 60% sometimes or always plan their travel with Wi-Fi availability as a consideration.

-- 1Q04--1Q05 year-on-year Wi-Fi revenue and shipment growth was strong, but quarter-on-quarter growth figures show an overall slowdown.

-- According to an In-Stat consumer survey, laptop/notebook computers are used for mobile data almost twice as often as cell phones.

-- More than one-third of Wi-Fi users use only free Wi-Fi connections, and 18.9% use Wi-Fi only at home or at work. Nearly two-thirds (61.7%), however, also said they use commercial hotspots.

The report, "3G and Wi-Fi: In Search of the Sweet Spot" covers the market for wireless data services. It features the results of a proprietary consumer survey covering their use of and preferences regarding 3G and Wi-Fi data services. It also includes data concerning consumers' willingness to pay for these services.

Topics Covered

-- Executive Summary

-- Key Survey Findings

-- Conclusions

Objectives

Methodology

Overview: 3G and Wi-Fi

-- 3G

-- 3G End-User Equipment

-- 3G Handsets

-- 3G PC Cards

-- 3G Security

-- Wi-Fi

-- Wi-Fi End-User Equipment

-- Wi-Fi-Enabled Handsets

-- Wi-Fi Cards and Adapters

-- Wi-Fi Security

-- Municipal Wi-Fi

-- Wi-Fi Access Providers

-- 3G and Wi-Fi Compared

-- 3G and Wi-Fi Growth

-- 3G Growth

-- Wi-Fi Growth

Survey Findings

-- Respondents' Occupations

-- Reasons for Not Using Mobile Data

-- Devices, Connection, and Locations Used

-- Wi-Fi User Profiles

-- Wireless Data Activities: Wi-Fi vs. Cellular

-- Satisfaction With Speed, Coverage, Cost

-- Service Cost: Wi-Fi vs. Cellular

-- Perceived Value of Fast, Ubiquitous Service

Conclusions

-- Thoughts for 3G and Wi-Fi Operators

-- Appendix

Glossary

--

List of Tables

-- List of Figures

Summary

3G cellular service already has more than 203 million subscribers worldwide. In the US, 3G covers hundreds of urban and suburban markets and virtually all major and secondary airports. Wi-Fi users can find hotspots in more than 82,000 locations, worldwide, with 40% being in the US alone and 65% of which are located at hotels, restaurants, and cafes. Both 3G and Wi-Fi continue to spread, although, Wi-Fi growth slowed somewhat through mid-2005. Wi-Fi aggregators continue to facilitate international roaming for road warriors, who can also find Wi-Fi free, or at very low cost, at thousands of retail businesses and in hundreds of US municipalities.

Darkening the picture, however, are survey findings showing that neither cellular data users nor Wi-Fi data users are well satisfied with the cost, coverage, or speeds of their respective services. Further, both groups exhibited a strong disinclination to pay for a service that would address their dissatisfactions. This report presents detailed satisfaction and value-perception findings, examines mobile data users' equipment and service usage patterns in depth, and compares/contrasts 3G and cellular technologies.

Finally, the report summarizes the competitive pressures on cellular and hotspot operators and discusses how to capitalize on present opportunities.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c33422

Source: Business Wire

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