Despite the availability of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) in South Africa, Wi-Fi will
remain the preferred form of connectivity for the foreseeable future according to
Ruckus Wireless, Inc. (NYSE: RKUS).
A Mobidia-sponsored Informa White Paper has found that, globally, Wi-Fi data
usage is much greater than cellular on 3G and 4G smartphones. Monthly Wi-Fi
use on 3G devices increased 24% last year to 3.2GB and jumped 86% on 4G
devices over the same period to 7.3GB. By comparison, for example in South
Africa, 67% of Vodacom 3G customers using Android devices are on data plans
of only up to 500MB per month; 59% for LTE users.
“We are seeing Wi-Fi increasingly being used for both data-intensive services
such as video and music streaming as well as automated ones such as
synchronisation to the cloud and online backups,’ says Michael Fletcher, sales
director for Ruckus Wireless sub-Saharan Africa. “Mobile cellular access is
typically focused on lighter applications such as social networking and
conducting product price comparisons when shopping.”
Fletcher believes that Africa has always been a mobile-first continent and the
increase in broadband penetration is perpetuating this. “The need for reliable
and cost-effective Internet access is increasing constantly. Manufacturers are
releasing more affordable smartphones which are impacting how people access
their information. Those users who have previously only been able to afford
basic feature phones are now able to experience the connected world in a
totally different manner,” he says.
The White Paper states that the newer 4G markets of Russia, Saudi Arabia,
South Africa and Brazil, with a relatively small number of end-users, are helping
drive a shift towards larger data plans.
“However, these larger data plans need to be integrated with Wi-Fi access to
provide a better end-user experience. This is especially important considering
how quickly one is able to use up a typical data plan on LTE networks given the
increase in speeds. Wi-Fi hotspots provide a perfect solution to enable faster
growth in data usage,” says Fletcher.
To this end, several Internet service providers (ISPs) in South Africa are bundling
Wi-Fi access with their fixed-line and mobile data offerings to diversify the
connectivity options available to end-users.
“LTE and 3G will remain supplementary to Wi-Fi for the foreseeable future. The
challenge for network operators will be to ensure that it does not erode their
profit centres but add to them through a more engaged, satisfied and
increasingly “connected to the Internet’ customer base,” concludes Fletcher.
