Ruckus marketing director Scott Heinlein is encouraged by the progress with public WiFi among cities though, as the advantages are far and wide – as revealed in IDC’s report “The Role of Public Wi-Fi in Enabling Smart Cities”, which found benefits included:

• Providing an amenity for residents, students, visitors, and tourists: People expect to be connected at all times and this does not diminish when people are within city limits. WiFi helps cities meet the expectations of all people.
• Bridging the digital divide: Over 30 percent of the global population is still without internet access. In today’s digital economy, it is imperative that anyone who wants internet access should be able to obtain it. WiFi can help cities bridge this digital divide.
• Enabling IoT services: As previously stated, IoT will be huge. However, the IoT market is fragmented and placing bets today on which technology to implement can be risky. WiFi not only supports some IoT applications itself but can also be an enabler of IoT solutions by supporting multiple IoT wireless technology.