Bango Sees Surge in Mobile Wi-fi Use

Mobile analytics and payment firm Bango has reported a huge surge in wi-fi connections to the internet from mobile devices. The company says that 50 per cent of mobile connections to the internet are now via wi-fi, compared to just 23 per cent a year ago.

The stats are derived from an analysis of connection methods Bango tracks through its payment and analytics platform. The company puts the increase down to a combination of factors, including the increased adoption of smartphones and tablets, and a growing consumption of streamed media, which is driving users to look for fast network connectivity delivered by wi-fi, allied to greater certainty over data costs.

Bango carried out its research in December and January, and says it saw a sharp increase in the number of people connecting via wi-fi in January, as users got to grips with the new smarpthones and tablets Santa delivered.

“Popular content – including music, movies, books and news – is becoming more digital by the day and increasingly consumed on mobile devices,” says Bango CEO, Ray Anderson. “Our latest data shows that, where available, wi-fi is quickly becoming the mainstream method of connection to the internet. For the successful monetization of mobile content, providers need to ensure they are providing a consistent payment experience for these users, however they connect.”

Bango has pioneered mobile billing technology that identifies users and automatically offers them the best payment method to generate the highest payment success rate. In most cases, says Bango, this is operator billing, which delivers the highest conversion rates for mobile content.