Today's consumers soak up more data than ever before with their mobile devices, using Wi-Fi hotspots that are appearing in public everywhere from the airport to the local coffee shop, for use by everyone from the freelancing journalist and the aspiring novel writer to the CEOs of major corporations as they close their latest deals.

Over the past two years, more of these Wi-Fi hotspots have been cropping up all over the nation, while the service providers and other operators have become available at the same time. According to a new study conducted by the market research firm iGR, this indicates that the market is set to grow substantially over the next several years, to the point that an expected $3.2 billion will be spent installing new carrier and cable Wi-Fi hotspots between the years 2013 and 2018.

“iGR expects the continued deployment of Wi-Fi hotspots due to the significant benefits Wi-Fi has to offer to cellular carriers, cable MSOs, independent service providers and their subscribers,” said iGR President and Founder Ian GillCott, who has extensive knowledge of the state of the wireless and mobile industry. “Over the next five years, we expect that $3.2 billion will be spent on the installation of carrier and cable MSO Wi-Fi hotspots.”

Today's Mobile Service Operators (MSOs) view Wi-Fi as an alternative to cellular data, as it can more efficiently transfer data at higher speeds. Carriers are building Wi-Fi hotspots all over the country to give subscribers zones where they can use data without infringing on the customer's existing data plan. In time, these hotspots could be expansive enough to reliably support mobile VoIP calling with carrier-supported Wi-Fi calls.

Ultimately, today's MSOs are acutely aware of the numerous advantages greater Wi-Fi coverage offers their business plan, so it is only logical that they will invest significantly in the installation of even more hotspots. The more hotspots a carrier can offer, the greater the service will be perceived by customers since there will be more locations for cheaper, faster data.