77% OF MOBILE PHONE USERS WANT WI-FI

A recent ABI Research report on behalf of the Wi-Fi Alliance shows consumers view WiFi as a "must-have" feature for mobile handsets. The firm found that 77 percent of mobile phone users want WiFi on their next handset and three-fourths of the people who have WiFi capability in their smartphones use it regularly.

The number of smartphones with WiFi is expected to increase to 90 percent by 2014, up from the 44 percent of smartphones that currently have the feature, according to ABI Research.

"Consumers and business people alike are attracted to Wi-Fi-enabled phones because they deliver a great multimedia experience—and this has re-set user expectations for handset features," said Edgar Figueroa, executive director of the Wi-Fi Alliance. "The wide variety of exciting Wi-Fi-enabled smart phones on the market today is a testament to how useful Wi-Fi is in propelling handsets from phones to true multimedia devices."

"Given the very high satisfaction rates reported by users of Wi-Fi-enabled handsets, it is clear that Wi-Fi offers a competitive advantage for both manufacturers and carriers," said Michael Morgan, industry analyst at ABI Research. "A growing number of carriers worldwide have included Wi-Fi phones in their offering, and all of the major handset makers now include the technology in their flagship products."