Cisco’s Annual Internet Report states Traffic from wireless and mobile devices will account for 71 percent of total IP traffic by 2022. By 2022, wired devices will account for 29 percent of IP traffic, and Wi-Fi and mobile devices will account for 71 percent of IP traffic. In 2017, also, wired devices accounted for less than half of the global IP traffic, at 48 percent.
- Globally, there will be nearly 549 million public Wi-Fi hotspots by 2022, up from 124 million hotspots in 2017, a fourfold increase.
- Western Europe had the highest number of hotspots, with 48 percent of the world’s Wi-Fi hotspots in 2017.
- By 2022, Asia Pacific will have the highest percentage of 47 percent.
- Hotels, cafes, and restaurants will have the highest number of hotspots by 2022 globally, and the fastest growth is in healthcare facilities (hospitals), where hotspots will triple over the forecast period.
By 2022, wired networks will account for 29 percent of IP traffic, and Wi-Fi and mobile networks will account for 71 percent of IP traffic. In 2017, wired networks accounted for 48 percent of IP traffic; Wi-Fi accounted for 43 percent; and mobile or cellular networks accounted for 9 percent of total global IP traffic.
Figure 21. Global IP traffic, wired and wireless *
Narrowing the focus to Internet traffic and excluding managed IP traffic yields a more pronounced trend. By 2022, wired devices will account for 21 percent of Internet traffic, and Wi-Fi and mobile devices will account for 79 percent of Internet traffic (Figure 22). In 2017, wired devices accounted for 35 percent of Internet traffic.
Figure 22. Global internet traffic, wired and wireless
