Approximately 1,000 Americans from all income levels and walks of life were polled by survey.com for the Wi-Fi Alliance from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1.
Wi-Fi use has spread dramatically in recent years, and Wi-Fi is now in more than 100 thousand hotspots and millions of homes worldwide, said Wi-Fi Alliance Managing Director Frank Hanzlik. It is not surprising to see that people like to be connected, both for work and for entertainment purposes, when they travel.
Wi-Fi provides a quick and simple means for travelers to change flight and hotel reservations, book rental cars and conduct last-minute trip planning activities in some cases even from an airplane tray table at 30,000 feet. Travelers also find Wi-Fi helps them locate restaurants, gather information on local events and find popular as well as off-the-beaten-path attractions. In addition, the technology provides a convenient way to send wish you were here e-mails and digital photos only moments after they were taken.
Wi-Fi has moved beyond being simply a productivity solution for road warriors, Hanzlik said. It offers new freedom to people from all walks of life. With Wi-Fi going into mobile phones and consumer electronics, we expect this trend to continue. Now more than ever, Wi-Fi is truly everywhere.
Other results from the survey include the following:
65 percent of people say Wi-Fi technology helps or will help them stay in touch with their close friends and family members.
68 percent believe Wi-Fi makes or will make them more productive at home by allowing them to more easily accomplish tasks such as paying bills, shopping online and making travel plans. Also according to the survey, .
74 percent of Wi-Fi users credit the technology with allowing them to escape from their home offices and work from a number of other locations in or around the house.
About the Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global, non-profit industry association of more than 200 member companies devoted to promoting the growth of wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). With the aim of enhancing the user experience for mobile wireless devices, the Wi-Fi Alliances testing and certification programs ensure the interoperability of WLAN products based on the IEEE 802.11 specification. Since the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliances certification program in March 2000, more than 2,000 products have been designated as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™, encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services across the consumer and enterprise markets.For more information, contact: Edelman for Wi-Fi Alliance: Michael Diamond, michael.diamond@edelman.com, 650-429-2772.
