Increasing Demand for Wi-Fi-Enabled Devices Drives Chipset Sales

Ignited by the rising demand for Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as smartphones and compact notebooks, a new study released today by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a global non-profit industry association, and market research firm In-Stat revealed that Wi-Fi chipset sales grew 26 percent in 2008 to 387 million.

 

This comes as no big surprise, as consumers and business professionals continue to adopt a mobile, on-the-go lifestyle

 

"Wi-Fi has solidified its position as an essential technology for the home and the enterprise in 2008, and we expect our strong growth trajectory to continue," stated Edgar Figueroa, executive director of the Wi-Fi Alliance. "Wi- Fi is a feature that users have come to expect in a wide array of products, and device makers are including Wi-Fi in everything from handsets to mini- notebooks to media players."

 

In its analysis of Wi-Fi chipset sales by category, In-Stat found that there were 56 million cellular Wi-Fi phones shipped in 2008, a 52 percent increase from the previous year.

 

Moreover, 48 million Stationary Consumer Electronic Devices (gaming consoles, digital televisions, set-top boxes, printers) were shipped, representing a 51 percent increase. Portable Consumer Electronic Devices (handheld games, cameras, portable music players) were up 33 percent, with 71 million units shipped last year. Notebook PCs, Mini Notebooks, Ultra Mobile Devices, Mobile Internet Devices had144 million units shipped, a 23 percent increase.

 

"Wi-Fi has withstood the current economic conditions better than most other technologies, and we expect to see continued momentum into 2009," said Victoria Fodale, research analyst at In-Stat. "The technology is reliable, secure and extremely popular with consumers. In the handset category alone, we expect sales of Wi-Fi-enabled handsets to grow almost twice as fast as the entire smart phone sub-category."

 

The Wi-Fi Alliance and In-Stat predict that Wi-Fi sales will be generated by cellular Wi-Fi handsets, portable consumer electronics, home networking, and mobile PCs. All handheld gaming devices shipped in 2009 are expected to have Wi-Fi. Also, the 12 percent growth rate predicted in the mobile PC market will be motivated by adoption of new alternatives to notebooks known as mobile Internet devices or netbooks. These increasingly popular devices all include Wi-Fi and give consumers a way to access the Internet on-the-go.

 

"Consumers are demanding connectivity at any time, in any place, and manufacturers are meeting the need with a variety of affordable devices, including the increasingly popular netbooks," Figueroa said. "Wi-Fi is a key feature in making these products so attractive."

 

As a global non-profit industry association, the Wi-Fi Alliance comprises hundreds of innovative companies devoted to the spread of Wi-Fi technology across devices and market segments. With technology development, market building, and regulatory programs, the Wi-Fi Alliance has enabled widespread adoption of Wi- Fi worldwide.

 

More than 500 consumer products have received this Wi-Fi Alliance certification for advanced Wi-Fi performance. In addition, more than half of the mobile PCs which shipped in 2008 support this advanced generation of Wi-Fi.