  Three in 10 Americans cannot go one full hour without a Wi-Fi connection, according to a new study by Broadcom Corporation. The study of nearly 900 Americans highlights the country's growing dependence on Wi-Fi connectivity.
It revealed that 60 percent of respondents cannot go a full day without Wi-Fi before seeking a connection.
To have access to fast, reliable Wi-Fi, respondents said they would make various sacrifices. Nine in 10 would give up at least one of their favorite online activities in exchange for a Wi-Fi connection. Of that group, half would give up a social network like Twitter (57 percent) or Facebook (50 percent), while a third (34 percent) would give up emailing. Reliance on Wi-Fi is so strong that many would also sacrifice guilty pleasures. Of those surveyed, 43 percent would go without chocolate and 39 percent would go without coffee for a month to guarantee access to a reliable Wi-Fi connection.
The country's growing dependence on Wi-Fi connectivity is caused by greater demand for content, particularly of high-definition video on mobile devices. The 5th generation of Wi-Fi is now available to satisfy demand - 5G WiFi, based on 802.11ac. Broadcom's 5G WiFi streams content up to six times faster than legacy Wi-Fi and is six times more energy efficient, providing broader coverage and allowing numerous mobile devices to simultaneously connect to a network without impacting performance. |