Wi-Fi® Innovations and User Enthusiasm Propel Continued Sales Growth

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than a billion products shipped in 2011 and continued growth in mobile and digital home devices, Wi-Fi is thriving. Yet the industry is not resting on its laurels. A number of inventive new offerings on the horizon will improve Wi-Fi's usefulness in multimedia, deliver yet another performance boost, and provide easy access to Wi-Fi on the go.

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"Each year our industry is even more exciting than the last," said Edgar Figueroa, CEO of the Wi-Fi Alliance®. "We continue to enable new use cases for Wi-Fi where it enhances the user experience. The future has never been brighter for Wi-Fi."

The Wi-Fi industry's constant innovation has put it on a growth trajectory that shows no signs of slowing down. Recent data from ABI Research indicates that Wi-Fi-enabled device shipments continue to skyrocket, building a strong foundation of market momentum on which to introduce the new Wi-Fi capabilities.

Shipments of Wi-Fi devices reached nearly 1.1 billion in 2011 and are expected to double by 2015. Growth in the connected home category – which includes devices such as TVs, media players and gaming consoles – is expected to reach 35 percent from 2011-2016. While connected home and the mobile device category continue to shine, the other product categories set to take off might take some by surprise:

• Wi-Fi is predicted to grow 109 percent between 2011-2016 in automotive applications such as infotainment systems, navigation, and traffic monitoring
• Wi-Fi is predicted to grow 39 percent between 2011-2016 in health, fitness and medical applications
• Wi-Fi is predicted to grow 25 percent between 2011-2016 in smart meters and automation products

"We have watched the continued momentum of Wi-Fi and its expansion into new product categories," said Peter Cooney, Practice Director, Semiconductors, for ABI Research. "For any technology to have a growth rate of 16 percent over the next five years is an impressive outlook, but it's no surprise when you consider how versatile and useful Wi-Fi has become."

"The growth in Wi-Fi certifications reflects the momentum in our industry," continued Figueroa. "It took our organization eight years to complete 5,000 product certifications. Notably, more than 3,500 product certifications were completed in 2011. Much of the previous year's growth has been in the connected home category, and now our programs are expanding into an even wider array of segments and applications."

Member companies of the Wi-Fi Alliance continue to develop exciting programs to meet the demands of a broad range of applications. The coming year will bring progress on a slate of exciting new additions to Wi-Fi capabilities:

• A new certification for Wi-Fi display applications, planned for mid- 2012, will make it easy to share rich video and audio content, including HD video, between devices without the need for a traditional Wi-Fi network. Devices implementing this technology will work across vendors, and will require WPA2™ security protections.
• Faster, high-performance technologies are also coming soon. Wi-Fi Alliance interoperability programs for 60 GHz (802.11ad) and Very High Throughput in 5 GHz (802.11ac) are in development. These programs will provide high-performance connectivity for a range of home applications, allowing users to network data-demanding digital home devices without sacrificing performance.
• To make connecting to Wi-Fi simpler when on the go, Wi-Fi Alliance will launch Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint™ in 2012. Devices with this certification will facilitate a seamless connectivity experience in hotspots. This will allow service providers to ease congestion of mobile networks and improve the customer experience, while also allowing end users to easily connect in a hotspot without the cumbersome credential and login process that is typical today.

For more information on Wi-Fi Alliance programs, visit www.wi-fi.org.

About the Wi-Fi Alliance
www.wi-fi.org
The 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, the 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. The Wi-Fi Alliance has completed nearly 12,500 product certifications, encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services in new and established markets. 

Wi-Fi®, Wi-Fi Alliance®, WMM®, Wi-Fi Protected Access® (WPA), the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo, the Wi-Fi logo, the Wi-Fi ZONE logo and the Wi-Fi Protected Setup logo are registered trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™, Wi-Fi Direct™, Wi-Fi Protected Setup™, Wi-Fi Multimedia™, WPA2™, Passpoint™, and the Wi-Fi Alliance logo are trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

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SOURCE Wi-Fi Alliance