Study: Wi-Fi Chipset Market To Grow More

MANHASSET, N.Y. — Unit shipments of wireless LAN (WLAN) chipsets are projected to grow from 140 million in 2005 to 430 million in 2009, according to market research firm In-Stat.

The firm said that growth last year was driven primarily by mobile PCs, home/SOHO wireless routers and residential gateways, and external clients.

"The market has been driven primarily by traditional networking devices over the last five years, as well as embedded Wi-Fi in mobile PCs," says Gemma Tedesco, In-Stat analyst. "But the market is shifting, as it will be increasingly buoyed by new categories of devices such as handheld games, gaming consoles, cell phones and printers." The report also expects the Wi-Fi phone segment to emerge in 2007 and 2008, driven by embedded Wi-Fi in cellular phones.