17 July 2009

Wi-Fi Chipset – Shipments of 802.11n To Surge

Shipments of 802.11n will surge ahead of 802.11g in the Wi-Fi chipset market in 2010, according to a report.

With growth rates well over 100% in 2010, shipments of Wi-Fi Chipsets based on the draft n/802.11n will rapidly overtake those based on 802.11g, according to a report by market research company In-Stat. Total Wi-Fi chipset revenue is forecast to pass $4 billion by 2012.

802.11n is ahead in nearly every equipment category, but unit volume is being driven by shipment growth in mobile handsets and notebook PCs, according to In-Stat’s report.

Although there have been draft n/802.11n shipments in most markets for some time, we will see the first shipments of draft n/802.11n-enabled portable CE equipment in 2009. These shipments will be dominated by personal media players. Digital still/video cameras will make up the majority of the remaining of draft n/802.11n-enabled portable CE equipment shipments in 2009, In-Stat said.

“802.11n chipset revenue will surpass that of 802.11g this year as a result of higher Average Selling Prices (ASPs),” explained Victoria Fodale, an analyst for In-Stat. “ASPs for draft n/802.11n chipsets are complex, as there are more options that can impact prices. These options include support for the 5GHz spectrum and the number of data streams, which can range from 1 to 4.”

Set-top boxes currently have the largest adoption of Wi-Fi in non-portable consumer electronics applications. By 2013, shipments of Wi-Fi-enabled TVs, however, will exceed shipments of Wi-Fi-enabled set-top boxes, In-Stat said.