Strategy Analytics: Sales of Consumer Electronic Devices with 802.11ac Wi-Fi to Surpass One Billion Units by 2015

BOSTON, May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The next generation Wi-Fi technology 802.11ac will take off quickly in the next five years, as the consumer electronics industry is preparing for the transition with CE companies planning to roll out new devices with this latest technology, according to new research from Strategy Analytics' Connected Home Devices (CHD) service, "Embedded WLAN (Wi-Fi) CE Devices: Global Market Forecast". By the end of 2015, sales of consumer devices with 802.11ac Wi-Fi, including routers and gateways, will exceed the 1-billion-unit mark, equivalent to over 40 percent of all Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The report predicts that the global sales of Wi-Fi CE devices will reach 2.8 billion in 2017.  

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Wi-Fi has become a mainstream wireless technology which provides Internet access at home to a wide variety of consumer electronics and mobile devices. Consumers, CE device vendors, fixed and wireless Internet service providers and content providers will all benefit from the transition to the next generation Wi-Fi, as it provides significantly higher throughput speed, longer range and multi-channel communication. Mobile devices, primarily smartphones and tablets, are expected to be the early adopting device categories of 802.11ac, whereas connected TVs, streaming media players and other fixed devices will follow the trend gradually. 

Jia Wu, Director, Connected Home Devices, said, "The evolution of Wi-Fi continues and we expect the transition to 802.11ac to be faster than it was to 802.11n in the past. Consumers now have a better understanding of the benefits faster Wi-Fi can bring. Similar to the transition from 3G to LTE, once the CE device industry starts to adopt 802.11ac at full speed, consumers are very likely to embrace it."

Eric Smith, Analyst, added, "While the growth outlook appears promising, some growth barriers such as lackluster backbone Internet speed still need to be cleared for consumers to fully take advantage of the benefits of the Wi-Fi evolution."

"Our industry has again demonstrated its commitment to seamless connectivity with another performance leap for Wi-Fi," said Wi-Fi Alliance president and CEO Edgar Figueroa. "Consumers can buy new technologies with confidence, knowing that Wi-Fi devices are interoperable, and implement security-protected technology." The organization's certification program for 802.11ac products is set to begin in June.

About Strategy Analytics
Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success. www.StrategyAnalytics.com 

About Wi-Fi Alliance
Wi-Fi Alliance® is a global non-profit industry association of hundreds of leading companies devoted to seamless connectivity. With technology development, market building, and regulatory programs, Wi-Fi Alliance has enabled widespread adoption of Wi-Fi® worldwide. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ program was launched in March 2000. It provides a widely-recognized designation of interoperability and quality, and it helps to ensure that Wi-Fi-enabled products deliver the best user experience. Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 15,000 products, encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services in new and established markets. www.Wi-Fi.org

US Contact: Jia Wu, +1 617 614 0700, [email protected]
European Contact: David Mercer, +44(0) 1908 423 610, [email protected]

SOURCE Strategy Analytics