Over 450 million households worldwide currently have Wi-Fi networks set up in 2014, a 5% increase from 2013 according to Strategy Analytics (www.strategyanalytics.com)

“Contrary to common perception, not all consumers have embraced Wi-Fi networks in their homes despite the fact that global connected devices per household stand at 5.5 in 2014 – Wi-Fi router adoption in fixed-line broadband households still has much room to grow globally,” says analyst Eric Smith. “As Wi-Fi technologies continue to advance, prices fall, and the technology becomes more familiar to the average consumer, nearly 80% of fixed-line broadband households will have established Wi-Fi networks by 2018.”

Jason Blackwell, director of Service Provider Strategies at Strategy Analytics, adds: “Broadband penetration in developed markets is reaching saturation point and emerging markets face infrastructure costs in expanding fixed-line broadband access. As a result, many households will begin relying on their mobile data plans, impeding further growth in fixed-line broadband penetration and Wi-Fi network adoption for heavy data demand. Meanwhile, fixed-line broadband service providers will be keen to roll out multimedia home gateways and even standalone Wi-Fi routers to subscribers in the hope of increasing ARPU and providing a higher quality of service on their networks.”