20% of the online population use public wi-fi
Adoption of public wi-fi grew from 14% to 20% of the online population between 2004 and 2005, but 58% of online consumers use public hot spots only when they are free, according to a new study from JupiterResearch.
“While the adoption of public hotspots is growing rapidly, willingness of consumers to pay for the access is not keeping pace,” said Ina Sebastian, associate analyst.
Public wi-fi adoption is highest among higher income and younger age segments, Jupiter found. 25% of consumers with income of $75,000 or more have used hotspots, compared with 20% of users in lower income segments.
Adoption also is high among young consumers because of their early exposure to wi-fi at schools and college campuses, according to Jupiter. 36% of consumers ages 18 to 24 have used hotspots, compared with 28% of consumers ages 25 to 34 and less than 16% in older age groups.
Of wi-fi users, only 42% pay to use the service, with business travelers accounting for a large proportion. 20% of paying consumers are between the ages of 45 and 54, and 32% have annual incomes of $100,000, Jupiter said. Paying users also use hotspots more frequently than free users, with twice as many (12%) logging on daily.
In contrast, 28% of free users are ages 18 to 24, and more than one-quarter have low annual incomes of $35,000 or less. That compares with only 16% in the paying segment.
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