Shipments of Wi-Fi ICs grows 28% in 2009, says ABI Research Tweet

In 2009, worldwide shipments of Wi-Fi ICs increased approximately 28% compared to 2008, according to ABI Research. Total revenues achieved an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18% between 2009 and 2014.

"Despite the uncertain macroeconomic situation, total market demand for Wi-Fi ICs is expected to keep growing," said industry analyst Celia Bo. "Demand for Wi-Fi ICs in mobile devices and consumer electronic devices are the two key engines for Wi-Fi IC's market growth."

In recent years, almost all laptops, netbooks, MIDs and smartbooks have shipped with Wi-Fi embedded, a trend that will continue for some time to come. Wi-Fi IC placement in mobile handsets grew by more than 50% in 2009 and Wi-Fi-enabled handsets will account for 40% of the total of handsets shipped in 2014. Beyond the already established segments, portable media players (PMPs) with Wi-Fi have also seen strong growth which will continue through 2014.

More and more consumer electronic devices, such as digital still cameras (DSCs), digital camcorders, TVs, DVD players, set-top boxes (STBs), are adopting Wi-Fi. Total shipments of Wi-Fi-enabled consumer electronic devices increased 33% in 2009 compared to 2008; the products with fastest-growing attach rates are digital camcorders, TVs, and STBs.

"The most significant variation in Wi-Fi enabled products is the protocol type of the embedded Wi-Fi," added practice director Philip Solis. "802.11g has had the highest attach rate over the past few years, accounting for 50% of total Wi-Fi IC shipments in 2009. But 802.11n revenues surpassed that of 802.11g in 2009 as a result of higher ASPs; and 802.11n shipments will surge ahead of 802.11g starting this year. Between 2009 and 2014, unit shipment CAGR is forecast to reach 41%.

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