When it comes to delivery of entertainment content and related media, a key driver in the years to come will be WiFi (News - Alert)-enabled consumer electronics. That’s according to a new study from ABI Research, which predicts that shipments for WiFi devices will reach nearly 249 million in 2011.

 

“While the consumer Wi-Fi market has previously consisted largely of routers, gateways and adapters, ABI Research (News - Alert) believes that as the market evolves towards digital distribution, its growth will be fueled by the inclusion of embedded Wi-Fi in consumer electronics,” ABI analyst Michael Wolf said in a statement.

 

Driving this growth, Wolf said, is tremendous consumer interest in online gaming and movie and TV content.

 

Portable gaming consoles lead the way, with Nintendo and Sony now equipping their latest devices with WiFI to enable multiplayer and online gaming, ABI noted. The media player market is taking note, as evidenced by WiFi functionality embedded in

Microsoft’s (News - Alert) upcoming Zune player.

 

Even camera vendors—including Nikon, Kodak, and Canon—are getting in on the WiFi action, ABI said. Other devices that are going wireless are DVD players and audio receivers.

 

Two main factors have so far hampered adoption of WiFi, ABI analyst Philip Solis said in a statement: power consumption and the status of the 802.11n standard. That looks to be changing.

 

“With the 802.11n standard set to be ratified in a little over a year, the Wi-Fi Alliance's decision to certify solutions based on a draft 2.0 for 802.11n, and vendors' intentions to release products based on the current Wi-Fi protocols, this market is set for growth,” Solis said.

 

Mobile Telephony