As in other regions of the world, cellular operators across Latin America are investigating ways in which curated amenity Wi-Fi can help them better meet the capacity needs of their networks while improving their subscribers’ overall mobile data experience. And there are very good reasons for them to be doing so. Here are just a few:
- Smartphone adoption is increasing dramatically across the region. For 1Q13, IDC reported a 53% uptick in Latin American smartphone sales over 1Q12. (And just last week IDC forecast a record fourth quarter across the world with smartphone sales likely to hit 1 billion units by the end of the year.)
- With smartphones in hand, user habits are changing, and more and more people are accessing more and more online content. (Our studies comparing 3G and 4G data usage show that when users convert to next-generation networks their overall usage—both cellular and Wi-Fi—increases.)
- In a 2012 Cisco study of wireless users in Mexico, they determined that mobile usage for wireless subscribers will see a 23X increase between 2011 and 2016. In the same study, they found that smartphone users access the Internet for data services 40% of the time and that 80% of respondents reported accessing public Wi-Fi weekly.
- In Brazil, operators and the government are gearing up to meet not just the needs of locals, but the data appetites of those visitors expected for next year’s World Cup in Sao Paulo and the country’s hosting of the 2016 Olympics. In fact, the mayor’s office of Sao Paulo has announced a list of 120 locations—including parks, squares, and public transport stations—where free Wi-Fi will be installed to help meet the needs of data users.
Wherever you have major cities, large populations, and increasing demand for mobile data—as you do across Latin America—service access and quality of experience issues are going to be challenging. And Wi-Fi, especially curated amenity Wi-Fi, can help meet the needs.
We recently completed a survey of the Latin American market to better understand the dynamics of mobile data usage in this fascinating part of the world. As we studied the region’s data landscape, we saw how curated amenity Wi-Fi can prove a powerful complement to carrier-deployed mobile networks. Curated amenity Wi-Fi comprises the vastest mobile network in the world, bar none. It’s comprises high-quality hot spots that provide a flexible and high-value way for operators to efficiently deliver data traffic—all while achieving the new subscriber standard of “Always Best Connected.”
To learn more about our findings and conclusions, read Amenity WiFi: Latin America’s biggest wireless network, which was just published in Connect World.