"WiFi has truly come of age," Frank Hanzlik, managing director of the WiFi Alliance, said in a statement. He noted that more than 90 percent of notebook computers being sold are now Wi-Fi-enabled, meaning they adhere to one of several versions of 802.11 standards for wireless networking.

Despite the apparent popularity of Wi-Fi, Kerravala sees competition from other technology. "I still think EVDO [Evolution Data Only/Evolution Data Optimized] is the future," he said.

Kerravala explained that EVDO, a 3G wireless broadband cellular mode, gives users the advantage of working with one carrier, over one network with access from virtually anywhere.

Some business users have objected to the need to find public Wi-Fi hot spots to make connections, which vary from place to place. However, IT officials in major cities have pushed public Wi-Fi as a way for users, including residential and business taxpayers, to stay better connected and to bolster a city's emergency response and administrative networks.

Gartner Inc. estimates there are now more than 60,000 hotels, airports and other locations offering Wi-Fi hot spots around the globe.