For more discussions and topics around SP Mobility, please visit our Mobility Community: http://cisco.com/go/mobilitycommunity

1. Trends in Mobility #5: Mobile Business Users Connect with Wi-Fi
Posted by stuartt on Aug 1, 2013 12:21:40 PM
Once the exclusive domain of senior executives, mobile devices are now indispensable
to most employees for conducting both their business and personal lives. The insatiable
demand for smartphones, tablets, and other connected devices is generating staggering
amounts of mobile data. In parallel, the use of Wi-Fi for Internet access is exploding as
more mobile devices are Wi-Fi enabled, the number of public hotspots expands, and
user acceptance grows. Once shunned by corporate IT departments, Wi-Fi increasingly
has made its way into most businesses.
Business users are the most valuable customer segment for mobile operators. Changes
in mobile behavior and usage, particularly with regard to Wi-Fi, could have a significant
impact on service providers’ (SPs) bottom line. However, there is little research on how
mobile business users are actually using Wi-Fi, how they want to employ it in the future,
and, more specifically, what is driving them to connect their devices to the Internet using
Wi-Fi.
To learn more, the Cisco®
Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) conducted
a survey of 540 U.S. mobile business users to understand their needs and behaviors,
current and future mobile usage, and level of interest in Wi-Fi, as well as new forms of
monetization.
The study revealed some interesting findings, including home being the most popular
location where businesspeople use mobile devices, far surpassing the office or other

2. place of work as a preferred location. Business users own an average of three mobile
devices each, one-third more than consumers. And, close to 30 percent of them own a
tablet. Business users prefer Wi-Fi to mobile to connect all of their mobile devices. In
fact, more than one-half of business users take advantage of a public hotspot weekly to
access the Internet.
The research findings are important because they help SPs understand the size of the
opportunity, develop strategies for success, and differentiate their Wi-Fi business
offerings and initiatives to become more competitive.
The complete results can be found at “What Do Mobile Business Users Want from Wi-
Fi?”
This is the last blog post (blog 5) of a new blog series Trends in Mobility on the Cisco
SP Mobility Community. Start from the beginning by reading Trends in Mobility #1: The
Next Generation of the Internet is Mobile By: Stuart Taylor
About the Author
Stuart Taylor's further industry research, insights, and perspectives can be found at his
blog, The Connected Life
Follow Stuart Taylor on Twitter: @STaylorCisco
More Resources
Trends in Mobility #1: The Next Generation of the Internet is Mobile By: Stuart Taylor
Trends in Mobility #2: The Future of the Mobile Industry By: Stuart Taylor
Trends in Mobility #3: The Mobile Paradox By: Stuart Taylor
Trends in Mobility #4: Wi-Fi Technology Delivers New Value to Service Providers By:
Stuart Taylor
White Paper: The New Mobile World Order - Perspectives on the Future of the Mobile
Industry
POV Paper: The Next Generation of the Internet Revolutionizing the Way We Work,
Live, Play, and Learn (PDF)
For more discussions and topics around SP Mobility, please visit our Mobility Community:
http://cisco.com/go/mobilitycommunity