Date: 22/09/2010

Annual shipments of Wi-Fi Chipsets are forecasted to raise above 1 billion units in 2012

In-Stat has forecasted that the annual shipment of Wi-Fi chipsets will pass 1 billion by 2012. The increase in Wi-Fi device shipments is driven by the the fact that Wi-Fi is found in nearly every smartphone sold, handheld game, tablet, notebook computer, or laptop computer sold. In addition to that the sales are also driven by the introduction of a host of new applications including automotive, digital cameras, E-readers, Blu-ray and personal video recorders (not to mention new medical and industrial applications) .

"Overall the Wi-Fi chip business has never looked stronger," says Allen Nogee, Principal Analyst. "While traditional products like routers, access points, and business gateways are not growing at past rates, many new markets for Wi-Fi chipsets have emerged that more than off-set these slowdowns. Cellular handsets alone will account for almost $2 billion worth of Wi-Fi chip revenue."

The recent In-Stat research has found that the Wi Fi shipments in handsets have passed notebook PCs. It is also found that most Wi-Fi chipsets currently support the 802.11n standard although the 802.11ac and 802.11ad standards are expected eventually to be the predominant technology. In-Stat has also forecasted that the devices with the largest revenue growth rate over the next five years will include mobile Internet devices, automotive applications, E-readers, and DVD/Blu-Ray players. Wi-Fi chipsets for notebook computers and mobile handsets are each expected to have revenue of over $1B in 2015.