Smart homes, personal devices, and other connected tech continue to grow in popularity. With the average number of connected devices per home reaching 21 and expected to grow, a potential problem looms for the U.S.
A new study by the Brattle Group for WifiForward investigated where congestion is likely to happen now and in the future, and what that would mean for Americans’ connectivity experiences.
Without adequate spectrum for unlicensed use, many Americans face the possibility of Wi-Fi congestion, slowing downloads of important work projects, buffering video conferences, and dropped e-commerce transactions. Not only would it be annoying, but it would diminish the expected economic growth from Wi-Fi innovation. Additionally, efforts to reduce the amount of unlicensed spectrum available would only compound problems.
More spectrum is not only a matter of efficiency, it’s a matter of economic necessity.
Quantifying the problem
The findings show a clear need for more unlicensed spectrum now and in the future.
- 17-30 million Americans are already experiencing Wi-Fi congestion and exhaustion today.
- That’s between 5-9% of the entire U.S. population.
- In five years, approximately 33-54 million Americans will be at risk of Wi-Fi congestion and exhaustion if no action is taken to secure more unlicensed spectrum.
- That’s between 17%-29% of Americans.
- In 10 years, if demand continues to rise with innovation, they estimate that the number of affected Americans could reach as high as 112-168 million, roughly 31%-47% of the country.
Time to take action
America’s appetite for smart devices and other connected technologies shows no signs of slowing down. Given the central role devices play in daily life and commerce, the need is clear for policymakers to act fast to ensure more unlicensed spectrum. By not taking action, or worse, by reducing the amount of unlicensed spectrum, the U.S. sets itself up to diminish not only its economic growth, but its technology leadership. By making more unlicensed spectrum available, policymakers have the opportunity to unleash innovation and economic growth.
To learn more about the important role that Wi-Fi and unlicensed spectrum play in the broadband ecosystem, visit NCTA.com.
