A number of industry statistics identify the drivers of demand for improved wireless networks. By 2015 there will be 15 billion devices seeking wireless access, including smartphones, tablets and other machines, according to Cisco Systems, which also forecast that mobile data traffic volumes will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 92% between 2010 and 2015. The research firm Dell’Oro Group puts the size of the WLAN equipment market at $8 billion. And 60% to 80% of enterprise employees will rely on wireless connectivity to access business-critical software applications.
Xirrus’s approach to improving WLANs sets it apart from other players in the industry, says Rohit Mehra, director of the Enterprise Communications Infrastructure Group at IDC.
"Xirrus's multiradio Wi-Fi arrays are high-capacity wireless access systems that can be deployed for high-traffic, dense enterprise deployments," Mehra wrote in an email interview. "Their integrated multiradio solution with directional high-gain antenna is well-differentiated from other solutions in the industry."
Wi-Fi capacity needs to expand to accommodate the growing number of mobile devices seeking access, he added, and to offload traffic from cellular networks, which can also reach capacity quickly.
Xirrus arrays are currently configured to operate on 802.11n wireless networks, but the Xirrus platform is "future protected," says John Merrill, director of corporate marketing at Xirrus, to be compatible with forthcoming standards called 802.11ac and 802.11ad.
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