研究人員表示 WiFi或將從人們的生活中消失
According to Bloomberg, consumers won't need to log on to a Wi-Fi network to avoid costly mobile data overage charges when carriers start rolling out unlimited data plans.
據彭博社報道，隨着運營商紛紛開始推出無限流量套餐，未來消費者將不再需要登錄Wi-Fi來避免昂貴的流量費了。And that's a critical change that threatens to render Wi-Fi obsolete.
這一重大變化可能會促使Wi-Fi退出歷史舞臺。Tim Farrar, founder of Telecom Media Finance Associates said "You could see a big switch. Your coffee shops may be less compelled to provide Wi-Fi for you now."
電信媒體財務有限公司的創始人蒂姆·法勒表示：“你可能會看到一個巨大的轉變，自己經常光顧的咖啡店可能不再那麼迫切需要爲顧客提供Wi-Fi了。”
In an all-data-you-can-eat world, consumers' use of Wi-Fi at public places like stadiums and airports will drop to a third of all mobile data traffic from about half, Farrar estimates.
據法勒估計，在不限流量的世界裏，消費者在體育館和機場這類公共場所使用Wi-Fi所佔的移動流量比例將從1/2降至1/3。
This means businesses not upgrading public access Wi-Fi as often. Smartphone users might not even turn on their Wi-Fi capability, according to Barry Gilbert, an analyst at researcher Strategy Analytics.
在Strategy Analytics研究公司任職的分析師巴里·基爾伯特表示，這意味着企業將不會再頻繁升級公共WiFi，而智能手機的用戶甚至可能會不再打開WiFi。The erosion of Wi-Fi's influence is likely to be slow and uneven. While unlimited data plans make the technology less necessary for phones, many home devices, from a MacBook to an Amazon Echo, still use Wi-Fi to connect to the internet.
不過Wi-Fi影響力的消退很可能是一個緩慢而崎嶇的過程，因爲雖然無限流量套餐讓Wi-Fi對手機可有可無，但許多家用設備，從MacBook到Amazon Echo，還是需要通過Wi-Fi來連接網絡。Wi-Fi also helps fill in gaps in some office buildings and homes that have spotty cellphone coverage.
而在一些手機信號不佳的辦公樓和家庭住宅，仍需要Wi-Fi來填補空白。"Wi-Fi has consistently stayed ahead in terms of performance and its ability to move large amounts of data," said Kevin Robinson, vice president of marketing for the Wi-Fi Alliance, a consortium of more than 700 companies, including Apple, Samsung, LG Electronics, Intel and Qualcomm.
Wi-Fi聯盟的成員包括蘋果、三星、LG電子、英特爾公司和高通公司等700多家企業，該聯盟市場部副總裁凱文·羅賓森表示：“在性能和大規模數據傳輸能力方面，Wi-Fi始終是更勝一籌。”"The market is going to decide which technology provides the best capabilities for the end user. To displace a technology like Wi-Fi is likely very optimistic."
“到底哪種技術能爲終端用戶提供最好的服務還得看市場的選擇。不過要想取代Wi-Fi這樣的技術可能還是太過樂觀了。”
