Set for publication later this month is the 2014 edition of IC Insights’ IC Market Drivers report. According to preliminary details shared over the weekend, one of the key topics included in the new report is wireless networking.
With the growing movement to conserve and monitor energy consumption, smart appliances with wireless networking capabilities are emerging. Additionally, cellular service providers are increasing their use of wireless networks to offload data traffic from their strained cellular networks.
Not surprisingly, the application space for wireless network technologies is vast and continues to expand.
From a unit perspective, the Wi-Fi industry blew through the 2008-2009 recession as though it never existed.
Demand for traditional Wi-Fi products (e.g., routers, switches, access points) slowed up some during the recession, but that drop in demand was made up more than enough by newer Wi-Fi applications such as smartphones and tablet computers.
Unit shipments of Wi-Fi-enabled equipment surged 54% in 2010, followed by 46% in 2011 and another 36% in 2012.
For 2013, IC Insights estimates that Wi-Fi-enabled system growth climbed 32% to 2.1 billion units, another very good year for this market segment.
From 2012 to 2017, the average annual growth rate for Wi-Fi products is forecast to be a strong 25%.
