Communications and Technology Industry Research

Wi-Fi chipset sales are poised to reach 300 million units this year, according to new data released by the Wi-Fi Alliance and In-Stat (News - Alert).

 

The new study reports that driven by ongoing strength in the PC networking market and new growth in consumer electronics and handsets, the latest estimate represents a 41 percent growth rate from 2006, in which 213 million chipsets were shipped.

 

“Consumers have come to expect Wi-Fi as a feature in many more devices than notebook computers, and manufacturers have responded accordingly,” Jonathan Gruber, research analyst at In-Stat, said in statement. He also pointed out that Wi-Fi connectivity was included on virtually all gaming devices and an increasing number of handsets and music players this year.

 

Gruber also said, “We expect the overall proportion of consumer devices incorporating Wi-Fi to continue to grow for 2008.” In-Stat also forecasts that by 2011, about 700 million devices will ship with Wi-Fi on board, and according to its study, by that time, Wi-Fi-enabled consumer electronics and phones are expected to start exceeding notebook computers in the total number of shipments.

 

The study also states that, this year, the inclusion of Wi-Fi in consumer electronics became more widespread, and the 802.11g standard wirelessly connecting some of the most popular consumer gadgets, including phones, music players, and gaming devices.

 

The study gives credit to the introduction of certification for products based upon 802.11n draft 2.0, which is said to have helped boost sales of new higher-throughput products to nine percent of the total shipments.

 

Highlighting that 2007 was a truly a banner year for the Wi-Fi industry, Karen Hanley, senior director at Wi-Fi Alliance (News - Alert), said, “we expect to see the strong growth continue.” He also commented: “With the launch of 802.11n draft 2.0 certification and Wi-Fi Protected Setup to make it easier than ever to set up a protected Wi-Fi network, we look forward to continued growth of Wi-Fi in a wide variety of devices.”

 

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 readies Wi-Fi for connected home applications such as home theater, audio, gaming, and computing systems. Wi-Fi Protected Setup, a new ease-of-use enhancement launched in early 2007, allows consumers and small businesses to easily set up security-protected networks.

 

Wi-Fi Alliance is the global, non-profit industry association of more than 300 member companies devoted to promoting the growth of wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). The testing and certification programs of the alliance ensure the interoperability of WLAN products based on the IEEE 802.11 specification.