The number of commercial and enterprise access points installed are forecast to ramp up to nearly 400 million by 2019, according to ABI Research. The research firm said that many businesses in different verticals like retail and hospitality have dropped the fees on Wi-Fi usage and started offering it as a free amenity service in order to attract more footfalls, increase customer satisfaction and eventually generate more sales and activity.
The increase in the installed base will encourage service providers and enterprises to continue to find new revenue opportunities in Wi-Fi, with emerging technologies like Hotspot 2.0, VoWi-Fi, and 802.11ac in the Wi-Fi space to support further development of the current business models. ABI added that service providers and enterprises have direct relationships with end-user customers and therefore play an important role in aggregating valuable data and controlling the delivery channels for products like mobile ads and apps.
Furthermore, data analytics and targeted advertising provide tools for hotspot owners to increase the value of their networks, enhance end-user experience, attract strategic partners, and create a collaboration ecosystem.
Ahmed Ali, Research Analyst at ABI Research
Bringing together the supply from hotspot owners with the demand from various businesses creates an expanding B2B ecosystem of innovative solution providers. We find app developers, platform providers, advertising agencies, and marketing firms are all examples of companies that seize many opportunities in the Wi-Fi market. Collaboration between different stakeholders is essential to create new business models and expand the value chain in order to maintain continuous profit for all parties.
