TMT Consulting published today a report entitled “Public Wi-Fi Access in Russia – Results of 2020”: the document examines the development of the market for wireless Internet access in public places.

As of the end of last year, there were approximately 178,1 thousand public hot spots in the Russian Federation. This is 7,3% more compared to 2019, when the result was 166,0 thousand.

If we consider the market in monetary terms, the growth was 1,6%: annual revenue increased from 7,0 billion to 7,1 billion rubles.

«Despite the fact that the restrictive measures introduced in the second quarter of 2020 led to a decrease in the volume of service consumption, the market as a whole managed to maintain positive dynamics throughout the year.“, – noted in the study.

And yet, the pace of development of the industry has slowed down. So, in 2019, the total number of access points increased by almost a quarter (by 23%), and revenue growth was 12%.

The market leader in terms of the number of served Wi-Fi access points is Rostelecom with a 29% share at the end of last year. VimpelCom is in second place with 17%, and ER-Telecom closes the top three with 12%. Another 10% of hot spots are served by MaximaTelecom. All other operators and companies collectively control about 31% of the market.

Analysts say that continued easing of quarantine restrictions, and possibly their complete lifting, will be a key factor in the development of the industry in 2021.