Mobile phones to get WiFi

Mobile phones featuring Wi-Fi connectivity will get higher popularity in general and in the U.S. in particular, believes research firm In-Stat. Even though nowadays few handset models can boast with Wi-Fi functionality, in future the technology will be enabled in much more handsets, as wireless local area networks (WLAN) are everywhere and customers will seek for phones that can access the Web using WLAN.

“In the end, most U.S. cellular carriers will embrace Wi-Fi in their handsets, as carriers know that if they don’t, other carriers will, and these carriers will likely steal away some of their customers. . Combo handsets also offer carriers opportunities to provide services such as VoIP over Wi-Fi, lessening impact on their cellular data system,” says Allen Nogee, an In-Stat analyst.