Data traffic is expected to grow sevenfold by 2021 according to the latest Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) report, driven by the continued increase in the number of smartphone users, widespread use of mobile applications, network speed improvements, massive mobile video consumption, and internet of things. Soon, more people will be using mobile phones (5.5 billion) than bank accounts (5.4 billion), running water supplies (5.3 billion), or lines of fixed telephony (2.9 billion).
Wi-Fi has a crucial role to play in the face of this explosion of data usage, as it will carry most of this traffic. In fact, globally more than 60% of mobile data traffic will be offloaded over Wi-Fi networks this year, according to Juniper Research’s “Mobile Data Offload & Onload” report.
