HomeArchivesFeaturesTagsBest of RWWFeatured: ReadWriteCloud Why Buy the Cow? Open Wi-Fi Networks Slow Broadband Adoption

We've all seen it and we've all done it - you're at a friends house with your laptop, and they don't have wireless, so you take a look and sign on to the nearest unsecured wireless network. No biggie, but certainly you wouldn't rely on this open network for all your Internet needs, right?

A report by analyst firm Mintel released this week claims that "Wi-Fi pirating" could be a main reason for the slow growth of broadband adoption over recent years.

 

According to Mintel, "home Internet services saw revenues increase by only 3% over the past five years", but surely Internet use itself has been on the rise. The firm found that 72% say that they have Internet access at home,  but only 56% report subscribing to a service at home. Where does the discrepancy come from?

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