802.11ac/ad to be predominant WiFi tech soon

SCOTTSDALE, USA: Most Wi-Fi chipsets currently support the 802.11n standard. However, the 802.11ac and 802.11ad standards will eventually be the predominant technology, says analyst firm In-Stat.

Ubiquity, a term often used but seldom realized in technology market-speak, is exactly what Wi-Fi has achieved.

Also Read: WiFi an alternate to clogged 3G networks?

The number of applications and devices where Wi-Fi is appearing keeps expanding. Not only is Wi-Fi now in nearly every smartphone sold, but in almost every handheld game, tablet, notebook computer, or laptop computer sold. 

While the notebook PCs once "was" the market for most Wi-Fi chipsets, handsets have now passed notebook PCs.

Throw in 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) and with every device, there is a Wi-Fi chipset. 

As a result, there is no mystery to In-Stat’s forecast that Wi-Fi chipsets will pass one billion units shipped annually by 2012.

“Overall the Wi-Fi chip business has never looked stronger,” says Allen Nogee, principal analyst, In Stat. “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.”

Most Wi-Fi chipsets currently support the 802.11n standard. However, the 802.11ac and 802.11ad standards will eventually be the predominant technology.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.