SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 9, 2010 - While it would be expected that enterprises would express concern over the security of Wi-Fi hotspots, it is actually the individual that is driving these concerns, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com).

According to In-Stat’s hotspot research, over three-quarters of survey respondents are personally aware of and proactive regarding security concerns.  The number of respondents indicating that their companies restrict Wi-Fi usage has dropped below 15% of the total respondents; a significant shift from 2008 when nearly the figure was 31% of respondents.

“While consumers and businesses are cautious about hotspot security, this hasn’t stopped them from using hotspots in dramatically increased numbers,” says Frank Dickson, In-Stat analyst. “In-Stat estimates that hotspot usage will increase in 2009 by 47%, bringing total worldwide connects to 1.2 billion.”

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• Lack of availability was the second most cited barrier behind security to hotspot usage, followed by cost.
  
• Wi-Fi-enabled entertainment devices, such as cameras, gaming devices, and personal media players (PMPs) shipments will increase from 109 million in 2009 to 177 million in 2013.
  
• Asia Pacific will experience the greatest growth in venue deployments over the next few years, largely driven by large-scale deployments in China.