Date: 14th Feb 2011

WLAN Semiconductor's fast growth driven by bandwidth innovation

WiFi semiconductor devices, a must in smartphones and tablets will continue to grow faster not only due to their compulsory need but also due to the ability of WiFi standards in getting innovated from low speed IEEE standards of 802.11b 802.11g to the latest 802.11n and 802.11ac.

Instat says in its recent study "the continued quest for connectivity in a multitude of devices has now been joined by an additional requirement, an insatiable appetite for speed. 802.11ac is a new Wi-Fi technology standard developed to provide Gigabit speeds. In-Stat has forecasted that the impact of this new standard will be equally as fast, as it will push shipments of 802.11ac-enabled devices from 0 in 2011 to nearly 1 billion by 2015.

"The goal of 802.11ac is to provide data speeds much faster than 802.11n, with speeds of around 1Gbps," says Frank Dickson, Vice President of Research. "The timing for 802.11ac approval is to have a draft standard created by 2011 and have the first 802.11ac products out by the end of 2012. The technology behind 802.11ac has not been finalized. However, it will likely involve bonding four or even eight channels together and some tweaks to the modulation scheme."

Some of the research findings of In-Stat include:
1. Mobile devices with Wi-Fi will still dominate shipments. In 2015, shipments of mobile phones with      embedded Wi-Fi are projected to approach 800 million.
2. By 2015, In-Stat projects that 100% of mobile hotspot shipments will be 802.11ac-enabled.
3. E-readers Wi-Fi attach rates will increase from 3% in 2009 to 90% by 2015.
4. In 2012, Wi-Fi automotive shipments will reach nearly 20 million.