According to In-Stat, hotspot usage is on the rise. One of the key concerns with the hotspot market over the past several years was whether there was a large enough audience of potential users for this service. While the market has increased over the past several years, there seems to be a more marked jump in usage this year. Many players report double digit usage growth month to month, and providers that have been very guarded on usage rates, such as T-Mobile, are now releasing information, which signals a positive shift in usage. This sudden trend in increased usage is largely a North American phenomena, as Asia Pacific usage has always been fairly robust, and Europe continues to have lower usage rates (often associated with the higher cost of access in that region). According to the Q2 2005 In-Stat Hotspot End-User Survey, nearly half of the 579 respondents use or have used hotspot services. Furthermore, 20 percent of respondents use these services frequently. While still slightly over half of the market has not used hotspots in the past, all respondents at least might consider using the service, with 17 percent indicating strong intent to do so. Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents that have used hotspots indicated plans to use the services more in the future. While 20 percent anticipated using the service at about the same level as they currently do, only 2 percent had plans to use the service less.
The subscription business model has been one of the big success stories of the Internet era. From Netflix to Microsoft 365, more and more companies are moving towards recurring revenue streams by having customers pay for access rather than product ownership. The subscription economy cuts across many industries -- such as streaming services, software, media, consumer products, and even transportation with the rise of mobility-as-a-service. A new market study by Juniper Research highlights the central challenge facing subscription businesses -- reducing customer churn to build a loyal subscriber installed base. Subscription Model Market Development The Juniper market study provides an in-depth analysis of the subscription business model market landscape and associated customer retention strategies. A key finding is that impending government regulations will make it easier for customers to cancel subscriptions, likely leading to increased voluntary churn rates. The study report cites the