Gigabit home Wi-Fi coverage is on the horizon With Gigabit Wi-Fi bundled into new FTTH services, broadband operators know how important Wi-Fi quality is for revenues. By Gao Xiang, Senior Marketing Manager, Access Network, Huawei textStart With Gigabit Wi-Fi bundled into new FTTH services, broadband operators know how important Wi-Fi quality is for revenues. Home Wi-Fi: A cash cow In 2014, global shipments of Wi-Fi-enabled devices hit 5.5 billion units, with 70 percent penetration expected by the end of 2017. However, Wi-Fi speed is the issue that affects user experience, and is also the problem that hit the Google Fiber Gigabit broadband project. As the access and control point for home broadband, optical modems can increase user and service stickiness, reducing churn and boosting ARPU. This is vital as more carriers integrate Wi-Fi into FTTH services and create new business models for smart home services, including 4K video, video surveillance, smart controls, and home network management – all these services depend on Wi-Fi-capable smart optical modems. China Telecom and China Unicom are two providers that offer smart home services through such devices.