Disqus
In February of this year, ABI Research found that WiFi-enabled handset shipments were set to double between 2008 and 2010. Now with the latter date fast approaching, ABI’s analysts have confirmed that a similar pattern will hold true (or even accelerate) for the period 2009-2011. In that sense, this year is on track to see 144 million handsets shipped, with forecasts for 2011 at just over 300 million.
The important factor was the mobile operators’ changing attitude towards WiFi. At first, many feared that WiFi would take traffic off their networks, whereas now they’re starting to realize that it may instead mean an increase in available network capacity.
T-Mobile USA is a great example — using their “Hotspot at Home” access points, they were able to deliver an improved in-home service.
Industry analyst Michael Morgan argues that WiFi has become a must-have item much as Bluetooth did earlier. “But just having WiFi in the handset isn’t enough. You have to have a reason for customers to use it. Until now it has been predominantly for data use, with voice struggling to find its niche,” he added.
More information about ABI’s report titled “Wi-Fi Capable Handsets” is available from their website.
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
