What’s the Fuss about Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi-equipped handsets are all the rage, with shipments surging more than 50% from 2007 to 2008 and have exploded over the past year, and shipments of Wi-Fi-enabled entertainment devices, like cameras, gaming devices, and personal media players (PMPs) increasing from 108.8 million in 2009 to 177.3 million in 2013, says market researcher In-Stat.

More people are also using Wi-Fi handheld devices to remotely connect to the Internet, jumping from 20% in 2008 to 35% in 2009. In fact, by 2011, handhelds are expected to account for half of hotspot connects. In-Stat also predicts Wi-Fi hotspot usage will increase in 2009 by 47%, bringing total worldwide connects to 1.2 billion.

While consumer or leisure users do not often carry a laptop, they do have Wi-Fi enabled handhelds and are using these devices to access hotspots. This, coupled with the service being bundled with mobile plans, is making hotspot access much more consumer-oriented compared to the service’s former business focus,” notes In-Stat analyst Frank Dickson.

Fueling this growth is a new crop of dual-mode Wi-Fi phones coming into the market, with many of them scheduled to debut at CES 2010 in Las Vegas.  More than 139 companies are expected to show W-Fi products and services at CES, many of them taking part in a special Wireless World program at the show.  Participating companies can be identified by the Wi-Fi logo at right, which will be displayed prominently at their booth location.

Qualcomm is also sponsoring TechZone at CES, which is a special exhibition of state-of-the-art mobile devices and applications.

- Tim Scannell, Editorial Director

**  Wi-Fi Hotspots: Cellular Handsets and Portable Devices Drive a Market Renaissance