Is Wi-Fi and cellular network integration on the horizon? Infonetics thinks so. In its latest report, “Carrier Wi-Fi Offload and Hotspot Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey,” the research firm believes that mobile operators are fully supportive of methods to use Wi-Fi as a way to offload cellular network use, and that in the near future, closer integration between the two protocols will result in an offloading experience that is intelligent, automated, and seamless. Other highlights:

• Two-thirds of the service providers interviewed have already deployed 20,000 to over 150,000 Wi-Fi access points in public spaces.
• Street coverage is seen as one of the areas of concern for Wi-Fi coverage; by 2013, the percentage of service providers planning to deploy Wi-Fi for street coverage will rise to 79%.
• Nearly all carriers surveyed plan to increase the number of access points deployed by 2013, so Infonetics expects significant carrier deployment over the coming year.

For more coverage, see http://www.infonetics.com/pr/2012/Carrier-WiFi-Offload-and-Hotspot-Strategies-Survey-Highlights.asp

Wi-Fi hotspots continue to be a hot product, Infonetics Research found in their latest market size, market share, and forecast report, “Carrier WiFi Equipment.” Demand from mobile operators supplementing their existing 3/4G networks with Wi-Fi hotspot services is driving this market to new heights, while fixed-line operators and ISPs continue to install new Wi-Fi equipment to augment existing Wi-Fi hotspots, and cable and DSL companies use Wi-Fi to enhance their broadband services. Add to this the upgrades needed to bring existing access points up-to-date with the forthcoming 802.11ac protocol, and Infonetics sees a bright future ahead for Wi-Fi equipment. Other report highlights:

• Global revenue for carrier Wi-Fi equipment grew 35% in 2011 from 2010.
• Mobile Wi-Fi access points are expected to experience an 86% annual growth rate through 2016.
• Infonetics forecasts the global carrier Wi-Fi equipment market to grow by high double-digit percentage points annually at least through 2016

For more, see http://www.infonetics.com/pr/2012/Carrier-WiFi-Equipment-Market-Highlights.asp