From PCAdvisor

The number of Wi-Fi public hotspots is set to rapidly rise around the world over the next few years, with Africa grabbing a significant portion of that increase, according to market research from Ruckus Wireless.

Global public Wi-Fi hotspots are set to increase from 1.3 million in 2011, to 5.8 million by 2015, according to Ruckus, makers of the Smart Wi-Fi technology.

“Mobile data growth is a key factor here, where it is estimated that 1.9 billion Wi-Fi devices will hit the networks next year and global mobile data traffic is expected to reach 16.84 million terabytes by 2014,” says Ruckus Wireless’ Sales Director for sub-Saharan Africa Michael Fletcher. “And of course, if you look at the local and African initiatives such as free Wi-Fi in Rwanda’s Kigali and the City of Tshwane — not to mention Google’s Project Link to bring faster connectivity to Africa — 2014 is set to be a watershed year for Wi-Fi.”

In Africa, the Ruckus report predicts, there is likely to be “a lot more free Wi-Fi across the regions — and being used in different ways.” The company cautioned, however, that if users are not able connect on free Wi-Fi for whatever reason, it can cause more damage to potential growth than not offering it at all.

Written by Olusegun Abolaji Ogundeji | Read more at PCAdvisor