North America and Europe are expected to lead the Wi-Fi hot spot charge, according to new findings from ABI Research. The firm predicts commercial Wi-Fi hot spots will grow by 47 percent worldwide to 143,700 by the close of 2006.

At the moment, Europe is the market leader with more than 57,000 hot spots. Combined, Europe and North America account for 74 percent of the commercial hot spots on a worldwide basis. The Asia Pacific market, however, is gaining ground. ABI expects Asia Pacific to become the new market leader in 2011.

Hot spots are being driven, in large part, by the growth of Wi-Fi offerings at retail. McDonalds, for instance, plans to outfit 17 percent of its 4,000 locations with hot spots. The hospitality sector also is driving demand. By 2010, the hospitality industry is expected to offer more than 109,000 Wi-Fi hot spots.

ABI Research expects more than 675,000 access points to be shipped this year for use in hot spots.

ABI Research also says that Wi-Fi sessions per subscriber are on the rise. "Subscribers are lingering longer and spending more time doing their e-mail and surfing the Internet," said the firm in a prepared statement.