According to a recent survey conducted by Informa Telcoms, the number of people connecting to Wi-Fi hotspots using smartphones has exceeded those using laptops for the first time.
The figures show that 40 per cent of connections to Wi-Fi hotspots now take place on smartphones compared to 39 per cent on laptops and 17 percent on tablets. The Wireless Broadband Alliance says the trend will only continue to accelerate in the next couple of years thanks to the adoption of “Next Generation Hotspots” (NGH), which simplify the connection process to hotspots by removing the username and password requirement.
Free public Wi-Fi hotspots have grown vastly in the last year and have become standard in many coffee shops, restaurants, shopping malls and even on trains. As more and more users use their smartphones and tablets equipped with VoIP services like Skype to make and receive calls whether abroad or at home, it probably won’t be long until smartphones and even tablets dominate over laptops in Wi-Fi usage.