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| IEEE 802.11: n-ter the dragon |
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| Monday, 30 June 2008 | |
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Wi-Fi-on-steroids off to a storming start. Threat to mobile WiMAX?
A new analysis from Infonetics Research finds that the worldwide wireless LAN infrastructure market sequentially increased in revenue but decreased in units shipped in Q1 2008: the research firm cites this as evidence that higher-priced 802.11n products are now shipping in increasing volume. This positive view of IEEE 802.11n uptake is backed up by the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) trade body: just one year after the WFA introduced 802.11n draft 2.0 certification, nearly 50% of Wi-Fi chipsets sold in 2008 are expected to adhere to the new superfast draft standard - double the number from 2007. Which is not bad for a technology whose final standardisation is not expected to be published until 2009 (draft 4 of the spec was ratified by the IEEE’s Task Group n, or TGn, in May). The Infonetics’ report, ‘Wireless LAN Equipment and Phones’, indicates that worldwide WLAN equipment revenue hit US$499mn in Q1 2008, up 1% from the previous quarter, marginally beating the previous all-time high of Q3 2007. “802.11n products are now making a more marked impact on the wireless market overall, with vendors reporting an acceleration in 802.11n shipments in 1Q08,” comments Richard Webb, directing analyst for wireless and mobile devices at Infonetics Research. “It looks like enterprise Wi-Fi products will migrate from 802.11g to 802.11n as rapidly as 802.11b products migrated to 802.11g several years ago. Yes, enterprises would like to see a return on their 802.11g investments before making significant upgrades, but the speed benefits of 802.11n are undeniable, with adoption being driven by the increase in new notebooks and PDAs with embedded 802.11n.” And what are the speed benefits? The headline figure for IEEE 802.11n is a throughput of 540Mbits/s, or some 10 times that of the 802.11g standard. In reality, experts anticipate speeds of up to 200Mbits/s, which is still some going. In the interoperability stakes the WFA reports that, to date, the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED seal of approval - indicating validated product interoperability – has been awarded to 325 products, and strong numbers of 802.11n draft 2.0 products continue to be presented for testing. The WFA says that Wi-Fi users have responded to the widespread availability of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 products with ‘…unprecedented enthusiasm’. The organisation cites ABI Research forecasts that by 2013, more than 90% of Wi-Fi products will support 802.11n. The products that have been Wi-Fi CERTIFIED so far in the programme span both traditional PC networking gear and consumer electronics. Televisions, media servers, and gaming devices are among the products certified in the first year, and nearly half of the products also support Wi-Fi Protected Setup™, which is designed to ease the process of configuring and protecting a home Wi-Fi network. “Across the board, and with a range of consumer and enterprise devices, we are seeing a real hunger for all things 802.11n draft 2.0,” says Edgar Figueroa, executive director of the Wi-Fi Alliance. “The standard has redefined the wireless experience, enabling streaming video, gaming, and other media throughout the home, while enabling advanced applications in enterprise networks. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED delivers a great user experience with a wide range of Wi-Fi products.” The inside story The rapid commercialisation of IEEE 802.11n may have wireless market implications other than those relating to the continued sales of its 11g predecessor. In a recent account of mobile WiMAX published by Frost & Sullivan, it is suggested that if spectrum auctions and commercial mobile WiMAX rollouts (compliant to Wave 2 Phase 2 certification) do not take place by 2008, the market scope for that technology on a global basis could be ‘insignificant’. Inter alia, Frost & Sullivan programme manager Luke Thomas opines that 2009 will be the year when operators begin to realise that mobile WiMAX can no more be considered as a feasible mobile broadband ‘access’ technology. He comments: “In terms of indoor wireless broadband, Wi-Fi fits well in this space, and with the emergence of 802.11n, which includes MIMO, throughputs would be far better than what mobile WiMAX can deliver.” John Williamson |
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