Abstract
Could a Wi-Fi-Only phone ever REPLACE your cellular phone? NO or MAYBE was the
lukewarm response from survey respondents that participated in an In-Stat Web
survey around Wi-Fi phones and communication devices. Although the majority of
respondents expressed at least an overall lukewarm interest in Wi-Fi-Only
phones, nearly twenty-five percent expressed absolutely no interest.
Respondents cited Wi-Fi' s limited range and possible Quality-of-Service (QoS)
issues as major obstacles to Wi-Fi' s use as a voice communication technology,
over cellular. Also, survey results indicated that current pricing for
Wi-Fi-Only phones is significantly higher than what respondents are willing to
pay for the devices.
The majority of respondents had never heard of the Sony mylo, a pioneering
personal communication device that supports Wi-Fi and VoIP. Results from
In-Stat' s TAP survey around Wi-Fi Phones reinforce the sluggishness of the
Wi-Fi-Only phone market. Although Wi-Fi-Only phones have been out on the
market since 2000-starting in the business segment and moving to the consumer
space-this market has never managed to ramp up or attract much consumer
interest.
Overall survey results, however, indicated that Wi-Fi is a desirable buddy
technology to cellular; the majority of respondents were interested in having
a Wi-Fi communication device together with their cellular phones, albeit only
if the Wi-Fi phone or communicator device is cheap.
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