WiFi is a mature and widespread technology, today reaching over 700 million homes, schools, enterprises and hotspot locations worldwide. As mobile data usage continues to sky rocket and as WiFi-enabled mobile devices become more abundant and diverse, mobile operators are beginning to see great potential for leveraging WiFi hotspots services in order to reduce congestion on cellular networks and to capitalize on new revenue channels.
1. How Do We Capitalize WiFi
Hotspots?
Emerging Opportunities for Mobile Operators
Around the World
Dr.
Mazlan
Abbas
@mazlan_abbas
mazlan.abbas@mimos.my
2. Key Drivers for Mobile Operator
WiFi Hotspots
• Wi-Fi hotspots can provide a complementary method to
delivering internet services to mobile subscribers at a relatively
low cost per byte.
• In launching and managing Wi-Fi hotspots, mobile operators
can gain control over their subscribers’ Wi-Fi experience, in
terms of security, accessibility and consistency across multiple
hotspot locations.
• Mobile operators can offer Wi-Fi as a value added service (VAS)
to boost customer loyalty and ARPU, as well as generate new
revenue streams by extending monetized Wi-Fi hotspot services
to a wide reach of customers.
5. Mobile Data Offload a “Win-Win”
Solution
Mobile data offload can be a win-win situation for mobile operators and subscribers.
By offloading data (internet) traffic from a cellular network to a Wi-Fi hotspot network,
mobile operators can optimize available cellular network resources, increase overall
capacity and reduce bottlenecking of service.
By alleviating congestion caused by heavy smartphone data usage, mobile operators
can better allocate their cellular network resources to other customers.
6. Mobile Data Offload a “Win-Win”
Solution
For mobile subscribers on SIM-enabled devices (think smartphones), mobile
data offload offers a convenient, effortless way to access high-speed internet
across all operator-managed WiFi locations.
This eliminates the burden of having to switch networks, sign up or purchase
services at each hotspot. A carrier-class mobile data offload solution enables
subscribers to be automatically authenticated to the WiFi hotspot network
without intervention or interruption of service.
7. Mobile Data Offload a “Win-Win”
Solution
Mobile operators have considerable flexibility in how they position and
market WiFi hotspot services to existing mobile subscribers. Unlimited WiFi
hotspots services may be bundled with a mobile data plan or available as a
monthly add-on package. Operators can offer tiered WiFi hotspot services for
premium locations and frequent roaming subscribers.
8. In choosing your mobile provider, how important is it to
have bundled WiFi access with your smartphone tariff?
[Source: Light Reading 2011]
9. Key Considerations & Challenges of Mobile
Operator WiFi Hotspot Monetization
• How to facilitate customer adoption and encourage use of
services, especially in markets where free and other paid
WiFi hotspots are abundant.
• How to integrate with the existing mobile core charging
infrastructure in order to realize convergent services for
mobile subscribers with secondary, WiFi only devices.
• How to quickly and cost-efficiently expand a WiFi hotspot
footprint in order to justify the deployment costs and
increase revenue.