The most comprehensive independent dataset on public Wi-Fi deployment across 37 countries — now updated and extended through 2031.

Why We Need Your Support

Producing the Global Public Wi-Fi Tracker requires sustained investment in primary data acquisition, analytical infrastructure, and research capacity across 37 markets. The venue-level datasets from reliable third parties, the operator outreach required to validate hotspot counts country by country, and the modeling work needed to build credible six-year forecasts across eight verticals represent a significant and recurring cost that cannot be absorbed without committed backing from the industry. This crowdfunding initiative allows organizations that rely on , or would benefit from, accurate, independent public Wi-Fi intelligence to directly enable its production. Backers are not purchasing a generic report; they are funding the underlying dataset that makes rigorous Wi-Fi market analysis possible at global scale. Without this collective support, the research cannot be updated, the forecasts cannot be extended, and the industry loses one of its only sources of independent, operator-level Wi-Fi deployment data.

Background

Built originally to support Cisco's Visual Networking Index, the Global Public Wi-Fi Tracker provides operator-level hotspot counts, homespot estimates, and broadband subscriber data across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.

This updated edition introduces rigorous COVID-era baseline corrections and forward-looking forecasts shaped by the structural shifts of Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 adoption, OpenRoaming/Passpoint 2.0 maturation, delivering a clean, defensible dataset that practitioners and investors can rely on.

Scope

GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE

VERTICALS COVERED

The tracker measures Wi-Fi deployment across eight core venue categories, each modeled independently to capture deployment pace, operator involvement, and upgrade cycles:

Methodology

Every data point in the tracker passes through a three-stage process: primary operator data collection, technology-informed modeling, and cross-referencing against independent industry benchmarks.

Venue-level data is sourced from various sources which provide authoritative counts for hospitality, retail, and commercial real estate properties across all 37 markets. Country-level infrastructure baselines draw on national statistics agencies, whose census-grade data ensures regulatory accuracy and geographic consistency across regions.

Deliverables

The research includes annotated Excel data sheets, a full methodology narrative, and operator-level breakdowns by country — structured for direct integration into investment analysis, vendor planning, and policy research workflows.