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August 28, 2014

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Global users of Wi-Fi set to double by 2018

WI-FI connection base across the world will more than double to 10 billion by 2018 because of the booming use of Internet of Things and smart home projects in China, a global industry association said in Shanghai yesterday.

Chinese firms and research organizations have invested heavily on developing new gadgets and applications with Wi-Fi features in sectors like agriculture, construction and decoration, wearable device and healthcare.

According to Wi-Fi Alliance, the world’s connection base will hit 10 billion by 2018 compared with 4 billion in 2013. The number of Wi-Fi hotspots, used in the public areas, is expected to grow to 10.5 million by 2018 compared with 5 million in 2013.

“Internet of Things (IOT) drives more connected devices and exploding data traffic to people’s life,” Kelly Davis-Felner, vice president of Wi-Fi Alliance, said yesterday.

The IOT refers to a system of sensors, chips and networks that come together to revolutionize homes and businesses. IOT is expected to create more business value than Internet.

IOT devices are set to generate 20 times more data traffic in 2017 than they do now, according to Wi-Fi Alliance.

As the world’s biggest manufacture base, China played important roles for IOT device and industry development. Smart home, security system and wearable computing are major IOT applications for future, analysts said.

“IOT has become one of key trends for research and development among China’s top academies,” said Mei Hong, vice president of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The revenue from IOT in China was 500 billion yuan (US$81.4 billion) in 2013, up 37 percent year on year, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.




 

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