Although the concept of a mobile hotspot device like MiFi is relatively new, In-Stat seems bullish on the prospects of such products. As a matter of fact, the research company says that the number and types of mobile hotspots is growing almost daily and forecasts that revenue from standalone mobile hotspot devices will approach $500 million by the end of this year. Moreover, mobile hotspot service revenue is projected to reach into the tens of billions of dollars annually.
In its report titled “Mobile Hotspots: Heating Up and Driving Mobile Data Growth,” In-Stat talks about three types of mobile hotspot devices, including standalone mobile hotspot devices, automotive mobile hotspots and mobile smartphone hotspots.
Some of the findings from the report include:
- Smartphone mobile hotspot functionality allows a mobile operator to typically charge an additional $20 a month.
- While many automobiles will have mobile hotspot capabilities, only a small percentage of car owners will activate their hotspot and pay for monthly services.
- A large market opportunity exists for mobile operators to provide WiMAX or LTE broadband services to home users and compete with DSL and cable providers.
As usual, you can get more information from In-Stat’s website.