According to ABI Research, the global consumer Wi-Fi equipment market stood at 166.1 million units in 2014, witnessing a growth of five per cent over the previous year.
Further, shipments of devices, which support the 802.11ac standard, grew significantly in 2014, representing more than 11 per cent of the total access point shipments. Over the next few years, the new generation 802.11ac products are expected to gain significant market share of the consumer Wi-Fi equipment market. It is expected that in 2015, about 71 million 802.11ac access points will be shipped globally.
ABI Research states that in the enterprise Wi-Fi market, access shipments grew by 11 per cent to reach 10.5 million in 2014. The enterprise class Wi-Fi access point shipments is forecasted to reach 19.4 million units in 2020. Meanwhile, consumer Wi-Fi devices shipments are expected to reach 219 million in 2020 supported by a faster growth in residential gateway shipments compared to access points and Wi-Fi routers. The total consumer Wi-Fi equipment market is expected to generate revenue worth $13.5 billion in 2020.
The research firm underlines that the next Wi-Fi standard likely to be introduced in the market is 802.11ad, which can provide speeds up to 7 Gbps.
