An interesting report came across my desk; especially noteworthy in light of the economic conditions plaguing the landscape.
According to the "Devicescape Wi-Fi Report" consumers say that they want citywide WiFi and they are willing to pay for it.
The official announcement of the study will be out tomorrow, but I was fortunate enough to get advance notice.
The report was conducted by Decipher, Inc. on behalf of Devicescape and several other players in the WiFi space, and quizzed more than 2,700 WiFi users for their opinions about the technology.
Key findings from the report include:
- An overwhelming number of WiFi users expect WiFi while traveling (91%);
- Most respondents (84%) want citywide WiFi, and many (56%) are willing to pay for it as they would a utility;
- When traveling, the most-often used device for accessing Wi-Fi was the smartphone, such as an iPhone (vs. laptops);
- The overwhelming majority of smartphone users (81%) prefer using WiFi over 3G for browsing Web sites, downloading data, Google searches and sending e-mail;
- 86% of respondents want OEMs to build Wi-Fi into their handsets;
- 82% of respondents want the service provider to provide an overall 3G/WiFi data package
The study also found that consumers often find it difficult to get and stay connected to a WiFi network when using a smartphone. The report found that "complicated login screens" were among the most common frustration consumers had when attempting to connect to a WiFi hotspot, and that nearly 90% of handset users want their service provider to offer seamless roaming between 3G and Wi-Fi networks.
