Since wireless network infrastructure adoption is increasing around the world, demand for Wi-Fi equipment is growing rapidly. According to recent ABI Research Wi-Fi equipment market data, worldwide Wi-Fi access point shipments exceeded 18 million in the second quarter 2010. These shipments include wireless routers, access points and gateways in both consumer and enterprise markets.
Worldwide Wi-Fi access point shipments in the second quarter of 2010 grew 6% compared to the first quarter. Total shipment volumes were strong in both enterprise and consumer market segments.
“In both consumer and enterprise sectors, demand for 802.11n product is growing rapidly. In the second quarter, 802.11n products were the key drivers of Wi-Fi equipment market growth,” says research director Philip Solis.
A total of 5.9 million of 802.11n devices were shipped in the second quarter. This represents a 15% increase over the first quarter. Due to increase interest in upgrading from 802.11a/g to 802.11n technology, the deployment of 802.11n products is expected to accelerate even further in coming years.
At present, D-Link leads in the consumer access point market with a 19% share. After D-Link, Netgear and Linksys are positioned second and third for access points in SOHO/Consumer markets. In the enterprise market segment, Cisco maintains the largest market share and Aruba networks is the second-largest player, with market shares of 54% and 13% respectively.
Revenue increased 5% in the second quarter, while the average selling prices of Wi-Fi access points dropped approximately 1%. Research associate Khin Sandi Lynn notes, “Due to increasing competition between manufacturers aiming to provide better and more cost-effective solutions, the average selling price of these devices is expected to fall still further.”
ABI Research’s “Wi-Fi Equipment Market Data“, which is updated quarterly, profiles shipments and revenue trends categorized by form factor, protocol, region and vertical end-use market. Both enterprise and SOHO/ consumer vendor shipments are analyzed where data is available.
