November 11th, 2009
Wi-Fi hotspot connection count to hit 1.2 billion
There will be 1.2 billion Wi-Fi hotspot connections worldwide by the end of 2009, up 47 percent from a year ago, according to research firm In-Stat.
The count comes as Google and Yahoo are pushing free Wi-Fi connections as holiday gifts and promotional vehicles. Meanwhile, telecom carriers are also hot on hotspots.
In-Stat notes that mobile operators are pushing hotspots to offload the stress on their taxed 3G networks.
Among the key figures:
- Worldwide hotspot venues will reach 245,000 locations in 2009;
- AT&T will have usage growth of 500 percent in 2009 compared to 2008;
- Wi-Fi deployments are ramping in China.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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