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Authors

Raul Katz (Ph.D., Management Science and Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology) is currently Director of Business Strategy Research at the Columbia Institute for
Tele-Information, and President of Telecom Advisory Services, LLC (url: teleadvs).
Before founding Telecom Advisory Services, he worked for twenty years at Booz Allen
Hamilton, where he was the Head of the Telecommunications Practice in North and Latin
America and member of its Leadership Team.
Fernando Callorda (BA, MA, Economics, Universidad de San Andres-Argentina) is a project
manager with Telecom Advisory Services, an Assistant Professor ESEADE (Argentina) and a
Research Fellow with the Economics Department at the Universidad de San Andres. Before
joining Telecom Advisory Services, he was a staff analyst in Argentina’s Congress.
Telecom Advisory Services LLC (TAS) is an international consulting firm specialized in the
development of business strategies and public policies for digital and telecommunications
companies, governments, and international organizations. Its clients include leading companies
in the digital and telecommunications sectors, as well as international organizations such as the
International Telecommunications Union, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development
Bank, the World Economic Forum, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean, the GSMA Association, the CTIA, the Competitive Carriers Association, and the FTTH
Council (Europe). In addition, TAS has conducted projects for the governments of Argentina,
Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.

This study was commissioned by Wi-Fi Alliance, the worldwide network of companies that
brings you Wi-Fi. The authors would like to acknowledge the support from Jean-Christophe
Budin (Wireless Business Line Director, Hubone), Claus Hetting (CEO, Wi-Fi Now), Christian
Wagner (Vice President - Business United Enterprise, m3connect), and Roland Montagne
(Business development Director, Broadband and FTTx – IDATE). The authors are solely
responsible for the views and content of the study.

CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

II. TOP LINE ESTIMATES OF ECONOMIC VALUE

III. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR ESTIMATING THE ECONOMIC
VALUE OF WI‐FI
III.1. The intrinsic value of Wi‐Fi
III.2. The derived value of Wi‐Fi
III.3. Methodologies to estimate the economic value of Wi‐Fi
III.3.1. Free Wi‐Fi traffic
III.3.2. Residential Wi‐Fi
III.3.3. Enterprise Wi‐Fi
III.3.4. Cellular off‐loading
III.3.5. Locally manufactured Wi‐Fi devices
III.3.6. Bridging the digital divide
III.3.7. Wi‐Fi return to speed
III.3.8. Revenues of Wi‐Fi carriers and Wireless ISPs
III.3.9. Wi‐Fi contribution to employment

IV. ECONOMIC VALUE OF WI‐FI IN THE UNITED STATES
IV.1. Total economic value (2018 and 2023)
IV.2. Free Wi‐Fi traffic
IV.3. Value of Residential Wi‐Fi
IV.3.1. Home Internet access for devices that lack an Ethernet port
IV.3.2. Avoidance of investment in in‐house wiring
IV.4. Enterprise Wi‐Fi
IV.4.1. Savings in wireless business traffic
IV.4.2. Avoidance in enterprise building inside wiring
IV.5. Cellular off‐loading
IV.6. Locally manufactured Wi‐Fi enabled equipment
IV.6.1. Consumer products
IV.6.2. Enterprise products
IV.7. Bridging the digital divide
IV.8. Wi‐Fi return to speed
IV.9. Revenues of Wi‐Fi carriers and Wireless ISPs
IV.10. Wi‐Fi contribution to employment

V. ECONOMIC VALUE OF WI‐FI IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
V.1. Total economic value (2018 and 2023)
V.2. Free Wi‐Fi traffic
V.3. Value of Residential Wi‐Fi
V.3.1. Home Internet access for devices that lack an Ethernet port
V.3.2. Avoidance of investment in in‐house wiring
V.4. Enterprise Wi‐Fi V.4.1. Savings in wireless business traffic
V.4.2. Avoidance in enterprise building inside wiring
V.5. Cellular off‐loading
V.6. Locally manufactured Wi‐Fi enabled equipment
V.6.1. Consumer products
V.6.2. Enterprise products
V.7. Bridging the digital divide
V.8. Wi‐Fi return to speed
V.9. Revenues of Wi‐Fi carriers and Wireless ISPs
V.10. Wi‐Fi contribution to employment

VI. ECONOMIC VALUE OF WI‐FI IN FRANCE
VI.1. Total economic value (2018 and 2023)
VI.2. Free Wi‐Fi traffic
VI.3. Value of Residential Wi‐Fi
VI.3.1. Home Internet access for devices that lack an Ethernet port
VI.3.2. Avoidance of investment in in‐house wiring
VI.4. Enterprise Wi‐Fi
VI.4.1. Savings in wireless business traffic
IV.4.2. Avoidance in enterprise building inside wiring
VI.5. Cellular off‐loading
VI.6. Locally manufactured Wi‐Fi enabled equipment
VI.6.1. Consumer products
VI.6.2. Enterprise products
VI.7. Bridging the digital divide
VI.8. Wi‐Fi return to speed
VI.9. Revenues of Wireless ISPs and Wi‐Fi service providers
VI.10. Wi‐Fi contribution to employment

VII. ECONOMIC VALUE OF WI‐FI IN GERMANY
VII.1. Total economic value (2018 and 2023)
VII.2. Free Wi‐Fi traffic
VII.3. Value of Residential Wi‐Fi
VII.3.1. Home Internet access for devices that lack an Ethernet port
VII.3.2. Avoidance of investment in in‐house wiring
VII.4. Enterprise Wi‐Fi
VII.4.1. Savings in wireless business traffic
VII.4.2. Avoidance in enterprise building inside wiring
VII.5. Cellular off‐loading
VII.6. Locally manufactured Wi‐Fi enabled equipment
VII.6.1. Consumer products
VII.6.2. Enterprise products
VII.7. Bridging the digital divide
VII.8. Wi‐Fi return to speed
VII.9. Revenues of Wireless ISPs and Wi‐Fi service providers
VII.10. Wi‐Fi contribution to employment

VIII. ECONOMIC VALUE OF WI‐FI IN JAPAN
VIII.1. Total economic value (2018 and 2023) 。