Adoption of public WiFi using UTAUT2: An exploration in an emerging economy

Abstract The dependence on information technology has evidently increased over the past decade. With the increased internet use and the need for accessing information on the go, the use of wireless internet has also been on the higher side. This need for always staying connected to the web has opened avenues for the usage of public internet services. The current study thus investigates the adoption of these public WiFi by the consumers. The study adopts the conceptual model of UTAUT2 which uses various variables to explain the acceptance of technology. The analysis uses the data procured from 257 respondents through a structured questionnaire which collects data surrounding model variables along with the demographics of the users. Variables including Facilitating Condition, Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, Hedonic Motivation, Trust, Individual Characteristics, Business Intention and Usage are considered to be influencing the acceptance of public WiFi technology. The statistical analysis of the responses has been done by conducting tests on reliability and validity. The regression analysis and path analysis lead to the findings which may be useful by various stakeholders for decision making surrounding the promotion of their services in the sector.