Businesspeople Accelerate Wi-Fi Hotspot Use

iPass Inc. has released its most recent edition of the iPass Wi-Fi Hotspot Index. Hotspot usage by business users jumped 68 percent between the first half of 2007 and the second half of 2006, versus 44 percent in the six months previous, and airports topped the list of venues where business travelers connect. These findings reinforce the attractiveness of Wi-Fi hotspots as a primary access option for workers on-the-go.Based on data gathered from nearly two million sessions for the first half of 2007, the survey showed European growth outpacing the US, with Europe expanding its worldwide share of hotspot use to 36 percent, up from 31 percent in the second half of 2006. London grew its lead as the world capital of Wi-Fi and now accounts for nearly four times the sessions of the runner-up city, New York. Other cities in the top 10 include: Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Singapore, San Francisco, Munich, San Jose and Los Angeles.

Additional global findings:

* The US remained the leading Wi-Fi country, accounting for 56 percent of global Wi-Fi usage.
* Usage "Down Under" skyrocketed, with Australian usage growing by more than 700 percent-as the country moved up to eighth place worldwide.
* Sessions in China jumped 164 percent, placing them among the top 20 of all countries for the first time.

The index also revealed that businesspeople are connecting over Wi-Fi for longer periods of time; average daily usage grew 25 percent to 87 minutes, up from 70 minutes in the second half of 2006. While users in the United States recorded an average online time of 90 minutes, users in China and South Korea stayed connected for twice as long, averaging more than three hours online a day.

"These results indicate that business demand for Wi-Fi hotspots has grown from a novelty to a mainstream need," said Joel Wachtler, vice-president of marketing and strategy, iPass. "We are also seeing that use of hotspots is a global phenomenon, with the standard for growth being set in European and Asian countries."

Airports Becoming a Second Office for Frequent Flyers
Wi-Fi has become especially useful for workers looking to make the most of downtime at airports and hotels, which combined, accounted for more than five out of every six sessions globally.

Airports led usage with 56 percent of sessions overall. However, hotels are closing the gap, with a 123 percent increase, accounting for 30 percent of overall sessions.

The iPass Wi-Fi Hotspot Index summarizes session* data collected by iPass across its base of users at more than 3,500 companies around the world. The full study is available at www.ipass.com/wifihotspotindex.

* The term "session" refers to one user logging into a given location one or more times during a single day. The average "session length" is calculated by dividing the total number of minutes spent connected by the total number of day sessions.