 |
 |
||
|
|
||
Smartphones top Comcast's Wi-Fi consumption listA new study from Comcast finds that smartphones were the biggest consumer of Wi-Fi in 2021 – and it wasn't even close. While nearly a billion unique devices connected to Wi-Fi in Comcast households in 2021 – a 12X increase from 2018 – 346.9 million of them were smartphones, the company revealed in its latest Wi-Fi Trends Report. The number of smartphones, which represents about a third of the devices being connected to Wi-Fi in Comcast customer households, is a 23X increase from 2018 data, according to the company. Tablets, at 150 million, was the second-largest device category connecting to Wi-Fi, followed by streaming devices, smartwatches and trackers, gaming consoles, and IoT devices, according to the study, which was based on a online survey of 1,000 US adults 18 years or older conducted in November 2021 by Wakefield Research.
Nearly 1 billion unique devices connected to Wi-Fi in Comcast households in 2021
Click here for a larger version of this image.
(Source: Comcast Wi-Fi Trends Report. Chart used with permission.) Potential to offload wireless data The results show that there are obviously tons of smartphones out there and that a lot of them are being connected to the home Wi-Fi network. It also sheds some light on the amount of data Comcast stands to offload for Xfinity Mobile, a wireless service that connects through the operator's Wi-Fi network and via cellular networks through Comcast's MVNO partnership with Verizon. Comcast, which ended 2021 with almost 4 million Xfinity Mobile lines in service, does not publicly report how much data its mobile subs are offloading on Wi-Fi, but the sheer number of smartphones indicates it could be significant. Charter Communications, whose Spectrum Mobile service also relies on a Verizon MVNO deal, has suggested that it could be in position to offload about one third of its mobile traffic on Wi-Fi and an emerging CBRS network that will be deployed in concentrated, high-use areas. Comcast, whose mobile business has already turned profitable on a standalone basis, has stressed it is in no hurry to deploy CBRS spectrum covering about 83% of its footprint won at auction in 2020. Among other highlights from the Comcast study, fitness trackers and other fitness devices connected via Wi-Fi were in the fastest-growing category, which soared 93% in 2021 versus the 2018 study. Streaming devices connected to Wi-Fi saw a 14X rate of growth, Comcast said. Comcast, which recently introduced its first Wi-Fi 6E-capable gateway, noted that more than 1 million broadband subs used the company's "xFi" parent controls in 2021, and more than 100 million used the company's Wi-Fi network management system to pause and resume the home's Wi-Fi. Nearly 100 million customers are connecting to the company's xFi Pod-branded Wi-Fi extenders, the operator said.
Related posts:
— Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor, Light Reading A version of this story first appeared on Light Reading. |
Latest Articles
Here's where you can find episode links for 'The Divide,' Light Reading's podcast series featuring conversations with broadband providers and policymakers working to close the digital divide.
As we have for the past two years, Light Reading will present our Cable Next-Gen Europe conference as a free digital symposium on June 21.
Charter has sparked RDOF work in all 24 states where it won bids. The cable op booked about $19 million in RDOF revenues in Q1, and expects to have about $9 million per month come in over the next ten years.
As we have for the past two years, Light Reading will stage the Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies conference as a free digital event over two half-days in mid-March.
Launch of 2-Gig and 5-Gig FTTP tiers in 70-plus markets puts more pressure on cable ops to enhance their existing DOCSIS 3.1 network or accelerate their upgrade activity centered on the new DOCSIS 4.0 specs.
 WebinarsARCHIVED
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
1:00 p.m. New York / 6:00 p.m. London When your broadband business adds new services and connected devices, do they also add complexity, slowing customer support teams as they navigate multiple data sources to uncover connectivity issues? We’ve worked with hundreds of support teams to help them implement a subscriber experience management platform that gives greater visibility into subscriber issues. They can proactively troubleshoot amid complexity—improving the subscriber experience and raising customer satisfaction ratings like Net Promoter Scores. Join this webinar with experts from Calix and global research leader Omdia who will share exclusive research about how you can:
|
|
|
||
