With Wi-Fi deployments making huge strides across the globe, the Wi-Fi platform is also evolving rapidly. It is poised to revolutionize the services Wi-Fi can launch. This advancing Wi-Fi landscape offers new opportunities for service providers to drive higher profitability. Here are a few noteworthy options which can enable service providers to propel ahead with new revenue opportunities and enhanced customer engagement.
Advanced Wi-Fi Analytics to drive business innovation and revenues
With the ability to track user’s online behavioural activities through proximity technologies and other tools, analytics becomes a key area to herald new revenue opportunities for operators. As operators plan to introduce innovative Wi-Fi plans, bundled multi-play services for enterprises and consumers, enhanced business intelligence and analytics can enable operators to evaluate the existing services and roll out next best targeted offers in smarter ways thus combating the me-too type of churn intensive data plan war amongst the operators.
Smart Cities, IoT and Converged services gaining momentum
The concept of Smart Cities has gained a lot of traction, with cities around the world harnessing the power of technology and integrating unlicensed and licensed services and business models. As governments look for offering superior service to its citizens, CSPs are in a strong position to leverage their existing network infrastructure to help government offer solutions that will serve as the foundation for their transition to smart services. Wi-Fi will connect new types of devices to each other and the internet. With the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) emerging as the next major wave of connected innovation, Wi-Fi’s reach will extend into the smart home, wearables, connected cars, and much more. CSPs also plan to launch varied converged and bundles plans for Wi-Fi and cellular i.e. (Wi-Fi as part of a multi-network, such as a fixed/mobile quad play).
Mobile advertising to rise
A service provider can monetize its Wi-Fi network in terms of advertisements; can connect advertisers to customers by publishing ad-sponsored data and encouraging advertisers to deliver contextual content that will suit their needs. Reaching out with advertising based on Wi-Fi access holds great potential to revolutionize the economics of Wi-Fi advertising to monetize.
Cloud and Virtualization to intensify
With the technological progression and taking into account the magnitude of offerings on cloud, next generation networks like Wi-Fi and its services are also made cloud accessible. With CSPs looking to expand their reach globally, installing Virtualized Network Function (VNF) instance on a NFV as a service platform on cloud enables CSPs to extend their reach instantly, and meet dynamic customer requirements. The hosted and managed cloud based Wi-Fi platform can easily react to the needs of enterprises to deliver innovative and cost effective services through cloud thus enabling them with automated processes to capitalize on their market opportunity and launch differentiated services quickly.
Concrete movements in Wi-Fi Calling adoption
As Wi-Fi gains importance, there are a number of CSPs who have evaluated Wi-Fi Calling applications and made it work in their ecosystem. This is largely seen as a opportunity to offer users with improved service availability and create better market differentiation. Overcoming the dead-spots which VoLTE has and looking at the return, Wi-Fi Calling is widely adopted by CSPs and are investing in this technology to better their market positioning and increase their customer engagement.
Novel ways of monetizing Wi-Fi
For years operators have sat on their traditional cash-cows like messaging and voice to bring in currency. But with exponential increase in the data market, CSPs are looking at the unconventional data monetization opportunities from Wi-Fi to strengthen their services capabilities to offer differentiated network experience as well as harness the extended ecosystem. Thus, CSPs are looking for innovative monetization techniques ways to enhance revenue such as:
- Time based freemium limited services access at public places and pay an upgrade fee for premium access
- Mobile Data offloading with bundled proposition with core services
- Paid access for non broadband and mobile users e.g. Hourly pass and day pass
- Upsell Wi-Fi services by partnering with retailers, advertisers etc. through app or portal
- Free Wi-Fi access in exchange of watching video Ad at landing page
- Roaming seervices by partnering with aggregators like iPass and Boingo
