Date: 05/06/2011

Wireless charging is forecasted to reach $885.8 million in 2011, up by 600%

IHS iSuppli has reported wireless charging will attain a total addressable market value of some $885.8 million in 2011, up more than sevenfold from $123.9 million last year, a growth of 600%.

The market highlights shared by IHS iSuppli includes:
The massive upsurge this year of wireless charging will dwarf the market's 60 percent expansion attained in 2010, the first year of meaningful growth for the space, and also will tower above next year's sizable 276 percent expansion. Growth then will begin to taper off, settling at a still-robust 48 percent in 2015 when revenue hits $23.7 billion.

The total addressable market includes revenue from three areas. One revenue stream will come from product-specific wireless charging solutions that comprise a charger and a so-called "skin" or receiver sold for specific devices. A second stream of revenue will be contributed by aftermarket receivers, while a third stream will be derived from aftermarket charging pads or stations. Charging stations, however, will become less significant over time as universal chargers become available for supporting more than three devices as well as devices with different power profiles.

Given the projected growth, wireless charging devices will continue to make their way into an array of applications including mobile phones, portable media players, digital still cameras and mobile PCs, although penetration at the moment remains miniscule for all sectors. Among the groups, mobile phones will contribute the largest share of revenue to wireless charging-not only because of the large volume of mobile devices expected to benefit from the technology, but also because of participation by name brands in manufacturing, providing much-needed market recognition in the process.

Of the four current wireless charging technologies in place today, inductive coupling is the most widely adopted in the value chain; other wireless charging technologies include conductive, near-field magnetic resistance and far-field magnetic resonance.

Barriers Still Remain to Wide Adoption
Although wireless charging is poised for major growth in 2011 and beyond, it will take several years for manufacturers to fully implement wireless charging in their devices, IHS believes. In particular, manufacturers will need to consider how to integrate wireless charging into the design of printed circuit boards, and significant adoption of wireless charging technology will be needed to drive down costs.

One way to spur adoption by the market is for the wireless charging industry to adopt a common standard that would ensure interoperability among solutions being developed. At present, all commercial solutions are based on proprietary technology, and the skin made by one company, for example, will not work with the charger pad of another company.

A common goal of the wireless charging industry also is to provide greener, more environmentally friendly solutions. A universal solution not only will fit the power profiles of various devices, the solution itself will be intelligent-shutting down a device automatically after it is fully charged, not wasting power when no transmitters are detected on the surface, and flexible enough to be placed anywhere on a charging pad.

Until the industry finds a standard to follow, the wireless charging industry will be fragmented, IHS maintains, and consumers will hesitate to adopt any solution that might not be adopted in the long term. On the other hand, an open, standardized system will create a healthier competitive environment and prompt manufacturers to join forces-which will enhance consumer awareness and lead to adoption in the markets.