Austin, Texas – December 11, 2006 – Wi-Fi chipset sales are poised toexceed 200 million units in 2006, according to new data released byIn-Stat and the Wi-Fi Alliance, thanks in part to sales of some of thehottest holiday gifts for 2006. The prevalence of Wi-Fi technology ineverything from notebook computers to cell phones to gaming devices haspropelled worldwide sales forward again this year. Continuedproliferation into phones and consumer electronics is expected to leadWi-Fi unit sales growth to the half-billion mark by 2009.
“Wi-Fihas continued to be a networking technology of choice, both in the homeand at work,” said Gemma Tedesco, Senior Analyst at In-Stat. “The 25%annual growth rate seen in 2006 reflects the technology’s expandingusefulness for a wide variety of applications and devices, as well asongoing user enthusiasm for the technology.”
“We’ve had anothergreat year,” said Frank Hanzlik, Managing Director of the Wi-FiAlliance. “More and more, Wi-Fi is becoming an important and highlydemanded feature for phones and consumer electronics devices, and whenyou bring the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ user experience into the equation,continued sales growth comes as no surprise.”
The Wi-FiAlliance, which coined the term Wi-Fi, provides testing andcertification programs to help ensure the best user experience withWi-Fi technology. To date, more than 3,200 different products havebecome Wi-Fi CERTIFIED.
Three of the newest must-have consumerelectronics products for this year’s holiday season, the Nintendo Wii™,the Microsoft Zune™, and the Sony PlayStaton®3, feature Wi-Ficonnectivity, and sales of these products in the fourth quarter havehelped drive WLANchipset shipments. In addition, strong sales of notebook computers andtraditional networking gear throughout the year supported the salesgrowth in 2006.
“People love Wi-Fi, and there is a lot ahead in2007 to continue to delight them,” said Hanzlik. “Next year will bringnew ease-of-use enhancements, continued momentum on converged mobilephones, and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED pre-standard 802.11n gear.”
About the Wi-Fi Alliance
TheWi-Fi Alliance is a global, non-profit industry association of morethan 300 member companies devoted to promoting the growth of wirelessLocal Area Networks (WLANs). With the aim of enhancing the userexperience for mobile wireless devices, the Wi-Fi Alliance’s testingand certification programs ensure the interoperability of WLAN productsbased on the IEEE specification. Since the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliance’scertification program in March 2000, more than 3,200 products have beendesignated as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™, encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fiproducts and services across the consumer and enterprise markets.
Wi-Fi®,Wi-Fi Alliance®, the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo, and the Wi-Fi logo areregistered trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance; Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ and theWi-Fi Alliance logo is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
Media contact:
Michael Diamond, A&R Edelman for the Wi-Fi Alliance, michael.diamond@edelman.com, +1 650-429-2772.
“Wi-Fihas continued to be a networking technology of choice, both in the homeand at work,” said Gemma Tedesco, Senior Analyst at In-Stat. “The 25%annual growth rate seen in 2006 reflects the technology’s expandingusefulness for a wide variety of applications and devices, as well asongoing user enthusiasm for the technology.”
“We’ve had anothergreat year,” said Frank Hanzlik, Managing Director of the Wi-FiAlliance. “More and more, Wi-Fi is becoming an important and highlydemanded feature for phones and consumer electronics devices, and whenyou bring the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ user experience into the equation,continued sales growth comes as no surprise.”
The Wi-FiAlliance, which coined the term Wi-Fi, provides testing andcertification programs to help ensure the best user experience withWi-Fi technology. To date, more than 3,200 different products havebecome Wi-Fi CERTIFIED.
Three of the newest must-have consumerelectronics products for this year’s holiday season, the Nintendo Wii™,the Microsoft Zune™, and the Sony PlayStaton®3, feature Wi-Ficonnectivity, and sales of these products in the fourth quarter havehelped drive WLANchipset shipments. In addition, strong sales of notebook computers andtraditional networking gear throughout the year supported the salesgrowth in 2006.
“People love Wi-Fi, and there is a lot ahead in2007 to continue to delight them,” said Hanzlik. “Next year will bringnew ease-of-use enhancements, continued momentum on converged mobilephones, and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED pre-standard 802.11n gear.”
About the Wi-Fi Alliance
TheWi-Fi Alliance is a global, non-profit industry association of morethan 300 member companies devoted to promoting the growth of wirelessLocal Area Networks (WLANs). With the aim of enhancing the userexperience for mobile wireless devices, the Wi-Fi Alliance’s testingand certification programs ensure the interoperability of WLAN productsbased on the IEEE specification. Since the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliance’scertification program in March 2000, more than 3,200 products have beendesignated as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™, encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fiproducts and services across the consumer and enterprise markets.
Wi-Fi®,Wi-Fi Alliance®, the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo, and the Wi-Fi logo areregistered trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance; Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ and theWi-Fi Alliance logo is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
Media contact:
Michael Diamond, A&R Edelman for the Wi-Fi Alliance, michael.diamond@edelman.com, +1 650-429-2772.