From an expected 2.6 billion total this year, Wi-Fi shipment is expected to hit a cumulative 18 billion from 2015 to 2019 according to New York-based ABI Research. In the present market, ABI Research said that Wi-FI is “the most ubiquitous technology for Internet Access.”
“There will be a roughly even split in 2019 for Wi-Fi chipsets of different integration levels,” said ABI Research director Philip Solis in a press release. “Standalone, or discrete, Wi-Fi chipsets — increasingly targeting the ‘Internet of Things’ — will be the largest group, followed by integrated platforms with Wi-Fi targeting mobile devices, followed by Wi-Fi combo chipsets.”
The Internet of Things
The Internet of Things is the term used to the current trend where various objects or even animals are able to automatically transmit data over a network without any form of human control, such as a heart monitor implant or a tracking device on free-range animals for location and identification.
ABI Research added that concurrent with the industry’s growth, Wi-Fi protocols will also continue to evolve, though the dual-band network is poised to dominate the market.
“By the end of the forecast period, dual-band will comprise the vast majority of chipsets shipped among all the protocols. Dual-band had a strong start in 2013 by surpassing 100 million shipments in the smartphone space alone, which accounted for a sizable fraction of the total shipped that year,” ABI Research said.
Tri-band, however, will also see “a strong ramp” during the next five years according to ABI Research.
“The natural progression of Wi-Fi into more capable protocols and new use cases will have a profound effect on the Wi-Fi chipset industry. Smaller players will try to make a land grab for market share while the established players will defend their turf,” ABI Research said.
source: interaksyon.com
