Wi-Fi Market Trends

Statistics for the 2023 & 2024 Wi-Fi market trends, created by Mordor Intelligence™ Industry Reports. Wi-Fi trend report includes a market forecast to 2029 and historical overview. Get a sample of this industry trends analysis as a free report PDF download.

Market Trends of Wi-Fi Industry

This section covers the major market trends shaping the Wi-Fi Market according to our research experts:

Indoor is Expected to Account For Significant Market Share

  • The popularity of Wi-Fi has invariably increased in recent years. Local area networks (LANs) can now operate without the use of wiring or cables, making them the preferred choice for businesses and homes. Wi-Fi has also been utilized to provide wireless broadband Internet access for connected devices, such as laptops, smartphones, tablet computers, and electronic gaming consoles.
  • Further, GPS is a technology typically obstructed by walls and needs better reception inside buildings for location tracking. To counter this, Wi-Fi has emerged as a popular technology choice for calculating the position of an asset tag for a real-time location system (RTLS).
  • Although Wi-Fi generally has shorter operation ranges, the signal can be extended up to 150 meters. The accuracy is typically determined by the number of access points deployed in the environment. The number of access points in the area is directly proportional to the production of a precise and accurate location. Wi-Fi positioning systems do not require additional hardware or infrastructure maintenance. Since most office spaces, homes, and other facilities already have Wi-Fi infrastructure installed, providing a base level of positioning capability is possible without additional investments.
  • Moreover, Wi-Fi calling is another primary application in indoor Wi-Fi settings. Increasing mobile subscription rates have been causing cellular networks to face difficulties distributing their offerings and penetrating modern buildings; people have begun running most of their data through Wi-Fi.
  • Further, voice calls can be transmitted over Wi-Fi either in the form of OTT applications such as Skype or as initiatives such as femtocells and UMA to enhance the reach of mobile voice services in users' homes. Moreover, charging the same rate for domestic and international calls has made it an attractive alternative to general network tariffs.
  • Further, most households are being transformed into "smart homes," which require the internet to facilitate many functions. The advent of smart TVs and smart speakers, such as Amazon Echo and Google Home, boosted the growth of the wireless router market.
Wi-Fi Market - Number of fixed Broadband Subscribers, in Millions, Global, Q4, 2015 - 2021

Asia-Pacific to Witness the Fastest Growth

  • China has an established 5G ecosystem, which is expected to grow further in the forecast period. However, the 5G technology is likely to serve as a hotspot technology along with the current mobile broadband, and the growth is expected to be gradual. In the Asia-Pacific region, China has one of the most extensive 5G networks. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China expected to build over 600,000 5G base stations last year.
  • In China, wi-fi is also widely used for indoor applications. With its robust consumer electronics industry, the country is expected to witness the rapid adoption of wi-fi over the forecast period. Additionally, in November 2020, a China-based company, ZTE, launched its first wi-fi with six set-top boxes, the ZTE ZXV10 B860AV6, which offers high-speed internet access along with high stability and low latency. Additionally, it supports wi-fi 6 transmission QoS solutions and a smart networking solution for the whole house.
  • Further, the Government of Japan agreed to an initiative that seeks to drive investments in the development of smart cities. According to an announcement by the Ministry of Land Management, the government had earlier agreed to "smart city principles," which deal primarily with the use of IT to develop modern urban spaces and urban management. This has effectively created a public-private platform for urban development between Cambodia and Japan.
  • In November 2022, AirAsia announced its partnership with technology firm Sugarbox and started providing in-flight Wi-Fi on all its aircraft. The service will enable travelers on AirAsia India flights to access over 1,000 international and Indian movies, web series episodes, and short movies, and stream buffer-free content from OTT apps from the system installed in the flight.
  • Furthermore, according to a December 2020 update, South Korea established a free nationwide wireless internet network on public buses for the first time in the world. This was done to give citizens easy access to information and reduce communication costs. Also, the South Korean government plans to install 10,000 free wi-fi access points in public areas. By this year, it hopes to have installed 41,000 access points in total at public locations across the country, such as transportation stations and community service centers.
Wi-Fi Market - Growth rate by Region

WiFi Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2024 - 2029)