A new study from Juniper Research (www.juniperresearch.com) has found that wireless charging adoption for mobile devices will increase rapidly in the coming years, with nearly 40% of households in the US and over 20% in Europe using wireless charging by 2020.

The research group found that leading retailers using the IoT [Internet of Things] to generate an "ecosystem" are poised to gain market advantage and truly capitalise on the opportunity. Linking the hardware elements of RFID tags, beacons and connected consumer electronics, such as wearables, with software analytics promises in-depth business insight and an enhanced customer experience.

With more devices now implementing wireless charging (smartphones, tablets, wearables and soon laptops), infrastructure providers are starting to roll out support for the technology, in a way similar to public or customer Wi-Fi. The research notes that this visible infrastructure presence has a key role to play in increasing awareness of the technology, where it can be tried without committing to a purchase.

One of the biggest areas of potential for wireless charging in the coming years will be the provision of additional data-based services alongside the charging itself. While easing "battery" is a key appeal of the technology, the easy data exchange will in future enable a variety of over-the-air services through the charging points.

"Wireless charging will ultimately be about more than the power and speed of charge," says research author James Moar. "The ability to pinpoint device location through data exchange enables all kinds of location-based activation functions around the home, the car and in the leisure industry. Industry stakeholders must be ready to leverage this capacity."

Juniper Research also found that:

° With regulatory and MNO approval, Japan will lead the world in adopting longer-ranged resonance-based charging technologies. In cost-driven markets, induction-

° A fifth of all wearable devices will incorporate wireless charging by 2020. This will have a huge impact on the space, permitting diverse designs without physical connectors.