Public WiFi may not be viable way to boost broadband penetration: Analysts

Public WiFi is unlikely to be a viable way to boost broadband penetration in an era of dirt cheap mobile data rates, nationwide 4G networks, generous data allowances and rising smartphone penetration, say industry executives and analysts.

The public WiFi model, they said, had also lost much of its utility for telcos in tackling network congestion as the latter now have adequate spectrum to address the problem directly, with the situation likely improve with another airwaves sale likely in early-2021.