More than 20 billion Wi-Fi devices are forecasted to ship between 2019
and 2024, according to a new market data report from global tech market
advisory firm, ABI Research. Continued growth in
traditional markets of strength, alongside traction in mesh networking
systems, smart home, automotive, and IoT applications will drive the
Wi-Fi market forward to nearly 4 billion annual device shipments by 2024.
“2019 marks the 20th anniversary of Wi-Fi, though the
technology shows no signs of slowing down,” says Andrew Zignani,
Principal Analyst, ABI Research. “Wi-Fi 6 is quickly gaining momentum in
networking devices, while client devices are already arriving into the
market and are anticipated to ramp up considerably over the next 12-18
months. The need for faster, more reliable, more efficient, and more
widespread Wi-Fi coverage is becoming increasingly vital in a world
filled with more Wi-Fi devices at both ends of the performance spectrum,
from high resolution streaming and low latency gaming to battery
constrained IoT devices,” says Zignani.
Wi-Fi’s expansion into the 60GHz and sub-1GHz bands through WiGig and
HaLow have been considerably slower, though ABI Research anticipates
these technologies will carve out their own success in the coming years.
“WiGig still has considerable potential for point-to-point applications
such as wireless video streaming, virtual reality, and docking, and has
recently seen considerable traction in fixed wireless access
applications. HaLow chipsets and IP are finally coming to the market
thanks to efforts from start-ups as Newracom, Morse Micro, and Palma
Ceia SemiDesign among others, and the inherent flexibility of the
technology could make it very attractive in LPWA type applications,”
says Zignani.
However, most exciting of all is the anticipated availability of 6GHz
spectrum over the next few years. “Though there is much work to be done
here from a regulatory perspective, the addition of a possible 1.2GHz of
additional spectrum for Wi-Fi that will be unencumbered by legacy Wi-Fi
technologies could lead to an unprecedented performance and capacity
boost for Wi-Fi in the future,” says Zignani. “The Wi-Fi 6 standard is
adding support for 6GHz capabilities, and work is already underway for
the next generation that will take full advantage of the new spectrum.
These enhancements combined will ensure that Wi-Fi will continue to
drive value well into its 30th anniversary and beyond,”
Zignani concludes.
These findings are from ABI Research’s Wireless
Connectivity Technology Segmentation & Addressable Markets
market data. This report is part of the company’s Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth and Wireless Connectivity research service, which includes
research, data, and analyst Insights. Market
Data spreadsheets are composed of deep data, market share analysis,
and highly segmented, service-specific forecasts to provide detailed
insight where opportunities lie.
About ABI Research
ABI Research provides strategic guidance to visionaries, delivering
actionable intelligence on the transformative technologies that are
dramatically reshaping industries, economies, and workforces across the
world. ABI Research’s global team of analysts publish groundbreaking
studies often years ahead of other technology advisory firms, empowering
our clients to stay ahead of their markets and their competitors.
For more information about ABI Research’s services, contact us at
+1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe,
+65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific or visit www.abiresearch.com.
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