Carrier Wi-Fi: Monetization Models and the Future of Wi-Fi in the Context of 5G

Powered by

All the vital news, analysis, and commentary curated by our industry experts.

"Carrier Wi-Fi: Monetization Models and the Future of Wi-Fi in the Context of 5G", a thematic research report by GlobalData, provides an analysis of the business models available to different operators to benefit from and monetize Wi-Fi networks. It includes data and insights on the Wi-Fi technology status and trends with respect to the growth in installed base of Wi-Fi hotspots, homespots and devices and traffic worldwide. The report outlines the future evolution of the technology as mobile networks migrate to 5G. Built on real-world examples, the report examines the five key business models for Wi-Fi, their fit by operator type and the critical considerations and strategic options for operators and vendors.

The installed base of Wi-Fi enabled devices continues to grow, driven in large part by the growth of smartphones. The technology has developed to better support operators and opened the door to multiple business models, enabling lower costs, new revenue streams and improved services.

The report is structured as follows –
– Section 1: Market Context. This section provides data and insights on the Wi-Fi technology and outlines the future of the technology.
– Section 2: Business models. This section provides an assessment of business models built around Wi-Fi worldwide, and examines these business models from the perspective of their fit for different operator types taking into account operator portfolio breadth.
– Section 3: Key findings and recommendations. We conclude the report with a set of key findings and critical considerations and recommendations on Wi-Fi network evolution and business models.

Scope

Key findings of the report include –

– Standardization, performance improvements and operator support continue to drive Wi-Fi adoption. Homespots and low cost hotspot deployment have increased the total number Wi-Fi areas (hotspots + homespots) from less than 30 million in 2013 to 85 million in 2016, with expectations of 113 million for 2018.

– Wi-Fi supports multiple business models for operators. There are five broad Wi-Fi business models available to network operators which can and should be used in combination (they are not mutually exclusive), though not all are relevant to all operator types. Integrated (fixed-mobile) and fixed-MVNO operators can benefit from all the different business models available while mobile first operators are more limited.

– The investment and operational costs of Wi-Fi must be kept low because the revenue upside is limited. There are multiple partnership opportunities which can help to keep costs down including joint ventures, roaming, wholesale, OTT providers, Wi-Fi specialists, venue owners, advertisers, payment providers etc.

– Wi-Fi network revenue upside must be maximized and thus sold across the organization from the consumer and business facing departments to advertising/media and wholesale divisions.

– Wi-Fi helps networks evolve by accelerating migration to 4G, freeing up spectrum for refarming and can form part of future heterogeneous networks and 5G. Wi-Fi or not, unlicensed spectrum will form part of future LTE and 5G networks.

Reasons to Buy

– The report provides a comprehensive examination of operator business models in the global market to help executives fully understand market dynamics, determine what works and what doesn’t, formulate effective product development plans and optimize resource allocation and return on investments.

– Each business model is analyzed to highlight notable approaches as well as how different types of operators, whether fixed only, fixed-mobile or mobile only are leveraging the technology to suit their particular context.

– The report highlights innovative and progressive approaches from operators around the world, including both developed and developing regions.

– The report discusses concrete opportunities for Wi-Fi, providing a number of actionable recommendations for operators and vendors.

– The report provides multiple insights into Wi-Fi including the current status, standards development, traffic growth, factors impacting use, network cost minimization approaches and technology evolution.

Airtel
AT&T
BT
China Mobile
Comcast
Free
Freedompop
Google
Internet Solutions
KDDI
KT
O2
Oi
Proximus
Republic Wireless
Sprint
T-Mobile
Virgin

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Table of contents 3

List of exhibits 5

Executive Summary 6

Section 1: Market context 8

Definition of Wi-Fi 9

Status of Wi-Fi 10

Operators and Wi-Fi 11

Wi-Fi traffic growth 12

Wi-Fi vs cellular data 13

Wi-Fi monetization 14

Wi-Fi network options 15

Evolution of Wi-Fi 17

Wi-Fi and 5G 18

Section 2: Business model analysis 19

Wi-Fi business models by operator type 20

Monetizing Wi-Fi 21

Direct or sponsored monetization 22

Managed & wholesale monetization 23

Subscriber retention 24

Increasing spend with Wi-Fi 25

Voice-over-Wi-Fi 26

Mobile data offload 28

Future of Wi-Fi 30

Wi-Fi and 5G 31

Key Findings and Recommendations 32

Appendix 35

Acronyms and definitions 36

Companies mentioned 37

About the authors 38

Related research 39

About GlobalData 40

Contact information 41

Table

List of Tables

Exhibit 1: Wi-Fi standards 9

Exhibit 2: Installed base of Wi-Fi devices, 2014 and 2016 10

Exhibit 3: Global installed base of hotspots & homespots, 2013-2018 11

Exhibit 4: Global IP traffic by access technology, 2015-2020 12

Exhibit 5: Portion of time spent on Wi-Fi by smartphone users by country, August 2016 13

Exhibit 6: Boingo revenue breakout, Q3 2011 & Q3 2017 14

Exhibit 7: Hotspot & homespot network of operator case studies 15

Exhibit 8: Comcast Wi-Fi hotspot network 2014-2017 16

Exhibit 9: Alternative ways to use unlicensed spectrum 17

Exhibit 10: Wi-Fi and 5G 18

Exhibit 11: Business model fit by operator type 20

Exhibit 12: Operator options for Wi-Fi monetization 21

Exhibit 13: Alwayson alternative payments 22

Exhibit 14: Wi-Fi advertising 22

Exhibit 15: Virgin Media Wi-Fi for retail 23

Exhibit 16: Covering key areas 23

Exhibit 17: KPN fixed-mobile convergence benefits 24

Exhibit 18: Vodafone (ES) churn, Q1 2017 24

Exhibit 19: Proximus Smart Wi-Fi 25

Exhibit 20: EE & Mobifone VoWiFi 26

Exhibit 21: VoLTE & VoWiFi 27

Exhibit 22: Mobile data growth by access technology, 2016 and 2020 28

Exhibit 23: Alwayson airtime to Wi-Fi data conversion 29

Exhibit 24: LTE and unlicensed 5Ghz 30

Exhibit 25: WI-FI and 5G multi-connectivity network 31

Figures

List of Figures

Exhibit 1: Wi-Fi standards 9

Exhibit 2: Installed base of Wi-Fi devices, 2014 and 2016 10

Exhibit 3: Global installed base of hotspots & homespots, 2013-2018 11

Exhibit 4: Global IP traffic by access technology, 2015-2020 12

Exhibit 5: Portion of time spent on Wi-Fi by smartphone users by country, August 2016 13

Exhibit 6: Boingo revenue breakout, Q3 2011 & Q3 2017 14

Exhibit 7: Hotspot & homespot network of operator case studies 15

Exhibit 8: Comcast Wi-Fi hotspot network 2014-2017 16

Exhibit 9: Alternative ways to use unlicensed spectrum 17

Exhibit 10: Wi-Fi and 5G 18

Exhibit 11: Business model fit by operator type 20

Exhibit 12: Operator options for Wi-Fi monetization 21

Exhibit 13: Alwayson alternative payments 22

Exhibit 14: Wi-Fi advertising 22

Exhibit 15: Virgin Media Wi-Fi for retail 23

Exhibit 16: Covering key areas 23

Exhibit 17: KPN fixed-mobile convergence benefits 24

Exhibit 18: Vodafone (ES) churn, Q1 2017 24

Exhibit 19: Proximus Smart Wi-Fi 25

Exhibit 20: EE & Mobifone VoWiFi 26

Exhibit 21: VoLTE & VoWiFi 27

Exhibit 22: Mobile data growth by access technology, 2016 and 2020 28

Exhibit 23: Alwayson airtime to Wi-Fi data conversion 29

Exhibit 24: LTE and unlicensed 5Ghz 30

Exhibit 25: WI-FI and 5G multi-connectivity network 31

Frequently asked questions

Carrier Wi-Fi: Monetization Models and the Future of Wi-Fi in the Context of 5G standard reports
Currency USD
$3,495

Can be used by individual purchaser only

$10,485

Can be shared globally by unlimited users within the purchasing corporation e.g. all employees of a single company


Undecided about purchasing this report?

Enquire Before Buying Request a Free Sample

Get in touch to find out about multi-purchase discounts

reportstore@globaldata.com
Tel +44 20 7947 2745

Every customer’s requirement is unique. With over 220,000 construction projects tracked, we can create a tailored dataset for you based on the types of projects you are looking for. Please get in touch with your specific requirements and we can send you a quote.

Sample Report

Carrier Wi-Fi: Monetization Models and the Future of Wi-Fi in the Context of 5G was curated by the best experts in the industry and we are confident about its unique quality. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer free sample pages to help you:

  • Assess the relevance of the report
  • Evaluate the quality of the report
  • Justify the cost

Download your copy of the sample report and make an informed decision about whether the full report will provide you with the insights and information you need.

Below is a sample report to understand what you are buying

See what our customers are saying

“The GlobalData platform is our go-to tool for intelligence services. GlobalData provides an easy way to access comprehensive intelligence data around multiple sectors, which essentially makes it a one-for-all intelligence platform, for tendering and approaching customers.

GlobalData is very customer orientated, with a high degree of personalised services, which benefits everyday use. The highly detailed project intelligence and forecast reports can be utilised across multiple departments and workflow scopes, from operational to strategic level, and often support strategic decisions. GlobalData Analytics and visualisation solutions has contributed positively when preparing management presentations and strategic papers.”

Business Intelligence & Marketing Manager, SAL Heavy Lift

“COVID-19 has caused significant interference to our business and the COVID-19 intelligence from GlobalData has helped us reach better decisions around strategy. These two highlights have helped enormously to understand the projections into the future concerning our business units, we also utilise the project database to source new projects for Liebherr-Werk to use as an additional source to pitch for new business.”

Market Analyst & Management, Liebherr-Werk

Your daily news has saved me a lot of time and keeps me up-to-date with what is happening in the market, I like that you almost always have a link to the source origin. We also use your market data in our Strategic Business Process to support our business decisions. By having everything in one place on the Intelligence Center it has saved me a lot of time versus looking on different sources, the alert function also helps with this.

Head of Key Accounts, Saab AB

Having used several other market research companies, I find that GlobalData manages to provide that ‘difficult-to-get’ market data that others can’t, as well as very diverse and complete consumer surveys.

Marketing Intelligence Manager, Portugal Foods

Our experience with GlobalData has been very good, from the platform itself to the people. I find that the analysts and the account team have a high level of customer focus and responsiveness and therefore I can always rely on. The platform is more holistic than other providers. It is convenient and almost like a one stop shop. The pricing suite is highly competitive and value for our organisation.

I like reports that inform new segments such as the analysis on generation Z, millennials, the impact of COVID 19 to our banking customers and their new channel habits. Secondly the specialist insight on affluent sector significantly increases our understanding about this group of customers. The combination of those give us depth and breadth of the evolving market.

I’m in the business of answering and helping people make decisions so with the intelligence center I can do that, effectively and efficiently. I can share quickly key insights that answer and satisfy our country stakeholders by giving them many quality studies and primary research about competitive landscape beyond the outlook of our bank. It helps me be seen as an advisory partner and that makes a big difference. A big benefit of our subscription is that no one holds the whole data and because it allows so many people, so many different parts of our organisation have access, it enables all teams to have the same level of knowledge and decision support.

Head of Customer Insight and Research, Standard Chartered

“I know that I can always rely on Globaldata’s work when I’m searching for the right consumer and market insights. I use Globaldata insights to understand the changing market & consumer landscape and help create better taste & wellbeing solutions for our customers in food, beverage and healthcare industries.

Globaldata has the right data and the reports are of very high quality compared to your competitors. Globaldata not only has overall market sizes & consumer insights on food & beverages but also provides insights at the ingredient & flavour level. That is key for B2B companies like Givaudan. This way we understand our customers’ business and also gain insight to our unique industry”

Head of Consumer Sensory Insights, Givaudan

GlobalData provides a great range of information and reports on various sectors that is highly relevant, timely, easy to access and utilise.  The reports and data dashboards help engagement with clients; they provide valuable industry and market insights that can enrich client conversations and can help in the shaping of value propositions. Moreover, using GlobalData products has helped increase my knowledge of the finance sector, the players within it, and the general threats and opportunities.

I find the consumer surveys that are carried out to be extremely beneficial and not something I have seen anywhere else. They provided an insightful view of why and which consumers take (or don’t) particular financial products. This can help shape conversations with clients to ensure they make the right strategic decisions for their business.

One of the challenges I have found is that data in the payments space is often piecemeal. With GD all of the data I need is in one place, but it also comes with additional market reports that provide useful extra context and information. Having the ability to set-up alerts on relevant movements in the industry, be it competitors or customers, and have them emailed directly to me, ensures I get early sight of industry activity and don’t have to search for news.

Senior Account Manager, TSYS
Go even deeper with GlobalData Intelligence Center

Every Company Report we produce is powered by the GlobalData Intelligence Center.

Subscribing to our intelligence platform means you can monitor developments at Carrier Wi-Fi: Monetization Models and the Future of Wi-Fi in the Context of 5G in real time.

  • Access a live Carrier Wi-Fi: Monetization Models and the Future of Wi-Fi in the Context of 5G dashboard for 12 months, with up-to-the-minute insights.
  • Fuel your decision making with real-time deal coverage and media activity.
  • Turn insights on financials, deals, products and pipelines into powerful agents of commercial advantage.