WBA: 22% of the mobile data capacity created in 2014 will come from Wi-Fi

Mobile operators will be adding a lot of broadband capacity to their networks in the coming year, but not all of its coming from their new 4G networks. More than a fifth (22 percent) of new data capacity will come from Wi-Fi networks, according to a Wireless Broadband Alliance survey of its global carrier and vendor members.

Anyone who owns a smartphone or cellular-connected tablet likely already is shunting a good deal of their mobile traffic onto home, work and other publicly accessible Wi-Fi networks. But what the WBA is talking about are carrier-owned and carrier-managed hotspot networks stuck in places where consumers would normally resort to their 3G and 4G connections.