According to Informa Telecoms & Media (ITM), the number of wifi hotspots in the UK is expected to reach 21 million by 2015
Currently there are just over 18 million wireless internet access points or ‘hotspots’. This are mainly located in city centres where people can connected to a high speed internet connection as they go about their business.
Worldwide over the same period the number of hotspots is predicted to reach over 650 million.
The latest research has been published to coincide with tenth anniversary of Wi-Fi technology in the UK, and BT has rebranded it’s Wi-Fi services as ‘BT Wi-Fi’.
The demand for wide Wi-Fi coverage is ever increasing with many workers and business owners using a mobile device to access the internet and check their emails.
BT has also revealed that they are on track with plans to operate 500,000 hotspots across London to meet the demand of the London Olympics.
The principal analyst at ITM, Thomas Wehmeier played a key role in the lastest research: “For today’s connected consumer, Wi-Fi is an essential way to connect and communicate via an increasing number of smart devices, from the smartphone to the tablet and, in the future, to virtually any consumer electronic device.”
It’s worth pointing out that to access many hotspots, you need to already be a customer of the network which is operating it. Network operators such as Sky and BT already provide hotspots, but only current customers can gain access to the login details.
Surely the future of Wifi hotspots must be that they become universally accessible?
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