Forward Concepts has announced the publication of an in-depth study of the WLAN and WiMAX equipment and chip markets. The new report, “Beyond Wi-Fi: 802.11n, VoWi and WiMAX,” provides a comprehensive analysis of worldwide equipment and chip markets. The report also profiles the ODMs, OEMs and chip vendors serving these markets.


Based on product reviews and interviews with numerous companies involved in the WLAN and WiMAX markets, the report provides detailed forecasts through 2009 of all market segments, including Access Points (AP) and base stations (WiMAX), Network Interface Cards (NIC), Wireless Router Gateways (WRG) and the chipsets enabling the entire WLAN and WiMAX networks.

Units, average selling prices (ASP) and total revenues are forecast for every market segment. In spite of a predicted 23 percent average selling price drop, worldwide shipments of WLAN equipment products will increase six percent to the $5.2 B level in 2005. The report also predicts that WLAN equipment will continue growing at a higher rate in 2006 to the $5.9 B level as new IEEE 802.11n and VoWi-Fi equipment is introduced and the infrastructure for traditional Wi-Fi expands.

The WiMAX and pre-WiMAX equipment market (including both 802.16d and 802.16e) is forecast to grow from $72 M in 2005 to just over $2 B in 2009, for an annual compound growth rate of 130 percent. The earlier views were that mobile WiMAX would be a threat to 3G, but now cellular equipment vendors such as Nokia are saying that WiMAX will be complementary.

Preliminary analyses indicate that 802.16e data delivery costs can be significantly cheaper per megabyte than HSDPA or 1xEV-DO when provided as an overlay to a cellular network. Future WiMAX chipsets, beginning with 802.16d-compliant fixed-operation units, are beginning to ship in 2005 for estimated revenues of $5.4 M.

However, mobility-capable 802.16e chipsets will begin sampling next year and the combined chip market is forecast to grow at a 209 percent compound annual growth rate to $489 M in 2009. Details of the report are available at www.fwdconcepts.com/wirelan5.htm.