Digital Lifescapes

Typically, VoIP is voice traffic that's carried over the public Internet. The launch of 4G LTE, and wireless hotspots in major cities around the globe, has brought about a downward trend in traditional switched telecom network activity. VoIP is more efficient than PSTN, and technology improvements in these areas have been instrumental in allowing VoIP to spread to the mobile environment. Market Development for VoIP Apps Juniper Research has revealed that the number of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) subscribers will rise from 488 million in 2016 to 3 billion in 2021, as network operators reap the benefits from widespread 4G infrastructure roll-outs. According to the Juniper assessment, there are now 165 operators in 73 countries investing in VoLTE, including 102 operators that have commercially launched an HD voice service using VoLTE in 54 countries. The market study found that the number of users adopting VoLTE services will likely overtake subscribers of Over-the-Top voice app ...

The global telecom service provider Wi-Fi equipment market totaled $713 million in 2015. The market has grown consistently year-over-year since 2007, due to the ongoing deployment of Wi-Fi as a wireless internet access offering for public hotspots. Now, Wi-Fi growth in the telecom carrier realm is increasingly being driven by a diverse customer base and emerging technologies -- including Hotspot 2.0, 802.11ac and network functions virtualization (NFV), according to the latest worldwide market study by IHS . By 2020, the worldwide carrier Wi-Fi market is forecast to reach $1.5 billion, and have a cumulative size of over $6.8 billion from 2016 to 2020 based on two market segments: standalone Wi-Fi access points predominantly deployed by fixed-line operators, cable multiple system operators (MSOs) and wireless internet service providers (ISPs). Plus, dual-mode Wi-Fi and cellular access points deployed by mobile operators. Technology innovations continue to deliver positive impact...

The near ubiquitous inclusion of Wi-Fi on smartphones ensures that this wireless technology is becoming a key component of forward-looking mobile service provider business strategy. Wi-Fi will likely support much of the data-intensive wireless traffic, but emerging applications for the Internet of Things (IoT) creates new challenges. Wireless broadband subscriber demand has already driven changes in market development approaches. Mobile network operators are now increasingly relying upon public Wi-Fi hotspots to support their broader commercial goals and objectives. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, they forecast that included within the massive global Wi-Fi coverage anticipated in 2020, at least 6 million public locations will support Hotspot 2.0 technologies and associated capabilities. Although a number of mobile service providers have already upgraded, or committed to upgrade, their public Wi-Fi networks to support next generation Hotspot 2.0 technologies,...

Mobile internet traffic continues to grow at an unprecedented pace across the globe, driven primarily by video usage. The increase in mobile subscriptions, smartphone usage and software app availability have resulted in significantly more data traffic per mobile device user. Traffic offloading helps in moving mobile data from one network to another, by using complementary wireless network technologies -- such as Wi-Fi hotspots -- for the delivery of data via cellular networks. Offloading enables mobile network operators to reduce the congestion in their cellular networks, while for the end-user it provides cost savings on data services and higher bandwidth availability. Wi-Fi networks are forecast to carry almost 60 percent of smartphone and media tablet data traffic by 2019, reaching over 115,000PB (Petabytes) by 2019 -- that's compared to under 30,000PB in 2015, representing almost a four-fold increase. According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, m...

Initially most incumbent mobile network service providers resisted the inclusion of Wi-Fi connectivity within the smartphones that they offered to their subscribers. Today, most informed service providers have embraced the benefits of Wi-Fi technology and the upside potential of Mobile Cloud service strategies. The pieces of the mobile network service provider Wi-Fi puzzle are falling into place as the standardization process speeds up with the recent updates on Hotspot 2.0 and commercial Next Generation Hotspot deployments counting more than 12 networks worldwide. According to the latest global market study by ABI Research, the increasing appetite for Carrier Wi-Fi solutions will result in revenues growing to nearly $8 billion by 2019. The main vendors in this emerging market market include Cisco, Ruckus Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia, and Ericsson. Asia-Pacific is the top region in number of installed Wi-Fi hotspots while Europe and North America continue to grow their networks throug...

As we look toward 2015, we'll see signs that the mobile service provider sector will start to shift its investment budget into new technologies. The 4G Americas organization says Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) each offer an opportunity for expanded network flexibility and capacity, while also enabling the reduction of operating and capital expenses. By utilizing more off-the-shelf bare metal hardware and open source-based software solutions, they're going to be in a much better position to revolutionize mobile networking infrastructure optimization. According to the latest global market study by ABI Research, the total worldwide wireless network operator capital investment (CAPEX) budget will increase by 5.9 percent by the end of 2014 -- that's a slower rate than 2013. The investment will reach $185.5 billion as large capital expenditure is expected in developing regions of Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. ABI Re...

Worldwide Wi-Fi deployments reached a total of 4.2 million hotspots in 2013, and will continue to grow at a CAGR of 15.0 between 2013 and 2018 to exceed 10.5 million, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. Among the global Wi-Fi hotspots, 68.6 percent of Wi-Fi is in Asia-Pacific, followed by 12.3 percent in Latin America, 9.0 percent in Europe, 8.7 percent in North America, and 1.4 percent in Middle East and Africa. The number includes Wi-Fi hotspots deployed by mobile network operators and fixed-line carriers as well as third party operators. "The mobile data growth has boosted the build-out of Wi-Fi hotspots, as it is expected that the global mobile data traffic will grow to 190,000 petabytes in 2018, from 23,000 petabytes in 2013," said Marina Lu, research analyst at ABI Research . Wi-Fi helps to offload 3G and 4G mobile Internet users to Wi-Fi networks, which is a more cost-effective method for both mobile carriers and mobile service subscribers. ...

A recent survey revealed that tier-one mobile network operators expect 22 percent of all additional data capacity added during 2014 to come from Wi-Fi offload, according to the Wireless Broadband Alliance. By 2018, Wi-Fi offload is predicted to contribute 20 percent of additional mobile data capacity -- plus a further 21 percent will come from small cells with integrated Wi-Fi. These findings demonstrate how important data offload is to mobile network operators, accounting for an average of 20 percent of data traffic, up to 80 percent in densely populated areas such as transport hubs and cafes. Within homes and businesses offload levels are 50 to 60 percent. Meanwhile, as worldwide mobile broadband traffic reaches 200 Exabytes per year, network operators deploy 4G LTE or LTE-A, plead for spectrum, and try to manage usage through policy controls and subscription pricing. The physics of mobile broadband radio do not follow Moore’s Law of digital scaling, so network operators are ...

The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) published findings from a survey on the Wi-Fi hotspot market, conducted by Maravedis-Rethink. The global market study revealed that mobile network operators expect 22 percenet of all additional data capacity added during 2013-2014 to come from Wi-Fi offload. By 2018, Wi-Fi offload is predicted to contribute 20 percent of additional mobile data capacity -- plus a further 21 percent will come from small cells with integrated Wi-Fi. Data offload is deemed to be very important to mobile service providers -- accounting for an average of 20 percent of data traffic, up to 80 percent in densely populated areas such as transport hubs and cafes. Within homes and businesses offload levels are 50 to 60 percent. The survey also highlighted that 51 percent of respondents -- 56 percent of network operators -- are more confident about investing in Wi-Fi to supplement cellular than they had been a year earlier. Renewed confidence can be attributed to increa...

The increasing adoption of smartphones and media tablets this year has created a huge demand for mobile internet access around the globe. In response, Wi-Fi hotspots deployed by broadband service providers started to gain new momentum in 2013, driven by these increasing data demands and recent Wi-Fi technology advancements. In particular, savvy Cable TV operators are enthusiastically adopting Wi-Fi technology as an entrance into the wireless internet access market. ABI Research forecasts that Carrier Wi-Fi access point shipments in 2018 will reach 9.7 million with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for 70 percent of that growth. In the U.S. market, a new service delivery model was deployed by Cable WiFi : an alliance formed of five of the biggest cable operators in the country, including Bright House Networks, Comcast, Cablevision, Cox, and Time Warner Cable. Customers of any of the cable MSO alliance members can roam seamlessly in the biggest Wi-Fi network in the U.S. -- curre...

With smartphone and media tablet usage continuing to grow exponentially, broadband service provider deployed Wi-Fi networks are playing an increasing role in keeping users connected while on the go. A new market study indicates that advanced features such as seamless authentication, on-site enrollment of additional devices, and Wi-Fi roaming present mobile network operators with compelling opportunities to drive business value. The survey, conducted among more than 2000 users of both smartphones and tablets in France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, illustrates the hunger among users for a more seamless experience in public Wi-Fi networks. Findings from the recent market study include: Eighty-four percent of respondents are interested in having seamless discovery and authentication in hotspots. Seventy-four percent are willing to switch service providers in order to gain access to these advanced features. Ninety-one percent are likely to stay with their current servi...

Seamless Wi-Fi access in public locations has heightened fixed and mobile network operators' interest in Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) Wi-Fi service offerings. The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) announced the findings of a market study conducted with research firm Senza Fili . Interest in this technology has been fueled by the world’s largest operators and vendors recently completing a number of advanced trials of NGH which led to the introduction of critical features such as seamless authentication; automatic network detection selection, adoption and secure access. This will ultimately give mobile device users easier access to a far greater number of public Wi-Fi access points around the world -- without the need for usernames and passwords. With an increasing number of sophisticated and data hungry mobile devices now available on the market, mobile network operators have been forced to address the capacity conundrum and Wi-Fi has proven to be a viable solution. However...

Infonetics Research released excerpts from its latest carrier Wi-Fi and hotspot survey, which explores the drivers, strategies, models and technology choices that are shaping mobile network service provider Wi-Fi deployments. "Best-effort WiFi is no longer good enough; mobile operators need carrier-class sophistication," said Richard Webb, directing analyst for microwave and carrier WiFi at Infonetics Research . Next-gen carrier WiFi has evolved to enable operators to deliver the same quality of experience as mobile networks through closer integration with the mobile RAN. Hotspot 2.0 will go a long way to building the bridge between the technologies from a technical standpoint, but operators are still figuring out how to position WiFi within their broadband offerings and which service models will generate the most revenue. According to the Infonetics assessment, mobile network offload of data traffic is not enough; WiFi has got to pay for itself -- by becoming a new s...

With the advent of network technologies such as 3G and 4G, mobile data traffic has been growing at an unprecedented pace and is increasingly outstripping the available mobile network capacity. The introduction of smartphones, tablets, and other devices has been driving mobile data growth. According to the latest market study by Juniper Research, almost 50 percent of data traffic generated by these mobile phones, tablets and other 3G/4G connected devices, will be offloaded to Wi-Fi and Small Cell networks this year. This is equivalent to 10 billion movie downloads or 9,000 petabytes (PB) per year being offloaded from mobile operator’s networks. The Juniper market study found that while mobile network operators were benefiting from much needed relief on their over-subscribed networks, they were potentially losing monetization opportunities on the lost data usage. In response, mobile service providers are actively partnering with existing Wi-Fi networks and launching their own car...

Mobile service providers have either a big challenge, or a big opportunity -- depending on your point of view. As a result of introducing new smartphones with broadband internet access offerings and promoting them vigorously, they're experiencing a variety of network performance issues. Some are addressing the issue with reactive bandwidth cap mandates or throttling data throughput, while others are proactively investing in new infrastructure to offload the growing mobile data traffic. Infonetics Research released excerpts from its latest market study report entitled "Carrier WiFi Offload and Hotspot Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey." Mobile operators now appear to be firmly behind carrier WiFi as a key solution for the mobile offload requirement -- even as they continue to investigate other small cell possibilities. "Our survey shows that whilst data offload is the current priority, in coming years operators will want to see a closer integration of W...

According to the latest market study by ABI Research , beyond the typical bandwidth caps and network-based throttling efforts, a fundamental shift is about to begin in mobile data communications service delivery. Mobile network operators around the globe have been ridiculed by their customers, due to perpetually poor service performance and declining user experience, as millions of new devices look to connect to the Internet. It's true, many mobile operators have not scaled their broadband network capacity fast enough to meet the growing demand, and so they essentially crippled their service offering -- alienating their customers in the process. A solution is close at hand, however, in the form of a smartphone-sized device that connects several Wi-Fi-enabled devices to a single mobile broadband subscription: the mobile hotspot router. Shipments in 2011 are expected to reach 7.1 million units with an estimated end-user revenue value of $1 billion. Instead of tackling mobil...

Wi-Fi connectivity has taken on new meaning within the connected home, as more IP-enabled consumer electronic devices reach the marketplace. Meanwhile, broadband service providers and retailers are introducing Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities in all types of social venues and in-store surroundings. Expect to find Wi-Fi availability in more places, used in a variety of new applications, during 2012. In the first quarter of 2011, worldwide revenue for the Wi-Fi network equipment market remained relatively flat compared to Q1’11 -- staying at $1.6 billion, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . Continuing a trend, 802.11n remains the fastest growing Wi-Fi technology with shipments rising 17 percent from the previous quarter, while revenues grew nearly 7 percent. “In terms of total unit shipments, TP-LINK is number one, leading the way with a 26 percent market share,” says Brad Shaffer, Analyst at In-Stat. NETGEAR has overtaken D-Link for the number two spot with ne...

The global Wi-Fi hotspot market continues to surge forward with phenomenal growth in both footprint and usage. Over the past several years, growth in the hotspot market has largely been driven by wireless and broadband providers embracing Wi-Fi as both a competitive differentiator, and an enhancement to core services. According to the latest market study by In-Stat, their research forecasts that this trend will continue -- as usage will increase to nearly 120 billion connects in 2015. “The hotspot market is in a continuous state of flux. Now over a decade old, the market is still undergoing significant changes in usage and business models,” says Amy Cravens, Senior Analyst at In-Stat . Wi-Fi hotspots have become a service used to attract demand for other product offerings, rather than just being a standalone offering. Whether the primary product is broadband, mobile service, or a Starbuck's cup of coffee, Wi-Fi hotspot access is being used globally to attract new ...

Applications of Mobile Voice over IP are an extension of VoIP technology that allows for IP-based phone calls to be made from a mobile handset. Voice traffic travels over the available wireless broadband connection -- whether that connection is 3G, EDGE, Wi-Fi, or GPRS. Similar to landline VoIP, mobile VoIP service is being adopted in both the consumer and business segments, but has only recently begun to be implemented within the typical business communication environment. Even though it's an emerging application, mobile VoIP growth rates are strong and by the end of the forecast period in 2015, users will have grown to nearly 83 million lines, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . "There are several reasons that adoption of mobile VoIP makes sense," says Amy Cravens, Senior Analyst at In-Stat. Some of these reasons include the ability to take the desktop telephone experience with you while mobile, the ability to utilize the benefits of IP-based commu...

A mobile Internet access hotspot, a device that connects to a wireless broadband service and provides a shared Wi-Fi LAN capability, is a relatively new concept -- with the first devices appearing during the last two years. Yet, the number and types of mobile hotspots is growing almost daily and In-Stat now forecasts that revenue from standalone mobile hotspot devices will approach $500 million by the end of 2010. Mobile hotspot service revenue is projected to reach into the tens of billions of dollars annually. "Mobile hotspot device shipments are expected to grow for several years, but we expect some jockeying for the top position occurring between device categories," says Allen Nogee, Principal Analyst at In-Stat. Smartphones with embedded mobile hotspots have already cut into shipments for battery-powered mobile hotspot devices. Automotive hotspot devices might do the same. Standalone mobile hotspot adoption will increase as they're positioned as home gateway...