If you have ever wondered how many Wi-Fi hotspots in the world then some recent research from Wi-Fi provider iPass could go some way to answering the question.
Their new study says that in the next 4 years the number of hotspots around the globe will increase to over 340 million. This would work out as one for every 20 people on the planet.
At the moment, there are expected to be 47.7 million Wi-Fi hotspots in the world by the end of 2014. This works out as a hotspot for every 150 people on Earth, while there is one for every 11 people in the UK.
UK in 3rd Place
The UK is actually in 3rd place in the list of countries with most hotspots, behind France and the US. Of course, these Wi-Fi hotspots are created to cover the gaps where mobile networks don’t work. They often provide free internet use to anyone in the area.
The study is one of the first ever looks at Wi-Fi around the world. In fact, it resulted in a really rather smashing map of the world showing the distribution of hotspots. It also shows whether the Wi-Fi hotspots are located in airports, retail outlets, trains or planes.
The expected growth is likely to skew the distribution further towards certain parts of the globe. For instance, by 2018 it is predicted that in North America there will be 1 hotspot for every 4 people. However, in Africa it will be 1 for every 408 people.
Additionally, although Europe has the densest Wi-Fi coverage just now, it is going to be overtaken by Asia by 2018, according to the study.
Do you find it easy to get hooked up to a hotspot where you live?
