Wi-Fi Chip Sales To Hit 120 Million This Year: Report

Annual shipments of Wi-Fi chipsets surpassed 100 million units this year, as the technology has begun to spread from personal computers and wireless access points to consumer electronics and phones.

According to a new joint study from In-Stat and the Wi-Fi Alliance, the final number of shipments could reach 120 million units by the end of this year. The Wi-Fi chipset market has, in fact, grown at an annual rate of 64%. The technology has become ubiquitous, and more than 90% of notebook computers are Wi-Fi enabled.

Noting that the next big push for the technology will be in consumer electronic and mobile communications products, Wi-Fi Alliance Managing Director Frank Hanzlik says that "Wi-Fi has truly come of age." To ensure operability, the Alliance has been certifying the interoperability of products that implement the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking standards. Since 2000, the organization has certified more than 2,200 products.

"Customers embrace new technology when they are confident that what they buy will work together and they won’t be stranded," In-Stat senior analyst Gemma Tedesco said in a statement. "The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED program is instrumental in ensuring that products interoperate. Because of certification, early customers had a positive experience with Wi-Fi technology and the momentum continued from there."