Wi-Fi Hotspot Numbers Continue to Grow

ABI Research predicts worldwide hotspots will grow by nearly three-quarters by the end of this year.

Is it getting easier to find wireless Internet hotspots worldwide? That seems to be the case, at least according to results of a new survey announced today by ABI Research.

This survey, according to ABI Research, revealed that this year worldwide Wi-Fi hotspots will grow by nearly 25%, to 179,500. Almost three-quarters of these hotspots are found in Europe and North America. In Asia, meanwhile, growth in China is slower than thought, though the rest of the region will come close to matching the number of North American hotspots by 2012. Europe, for its part, is the current leader with over 70,000 hotspots.

One major driver of Wi-Fi hot spots is retail establishments, added ABI. McDonalds, for example, is making rapid progress in turning its 4,000 locations into hotspots. Another driver is the hospitality industry with  almost 46,000 hotspots worldwide.

“The growing Wi-Fi hotspot market is fueling a demand for Wi-Fi access points,” said ABI Research vice president Stan Schatt, in a statement. “More than 900,000 access points will be shipped this year specifically for use in hotspots. Not only are hotspot and subscriber numbers growing, but we have observed a dramatic increase in the number of Wi-Fi sessions per subscriber. This means that subscribers are connecting more often to check their e-mail and surf the Internet.”