High demand to up WiFi market revenue to $6.1B

The latest research from In-Stat titled "WiFi Chipsets: Is 802.11ac The New Black?" revealed that the demand for devices with WiFi connectivity will continue to grow. New markets such as smart meters, wireless mice, automobiles and home automation will help drive sales of WiFi chipsets to $6.1 billion in 2015, added the market research firm.

"As WiFi appears in more and more devices the demand for additional bandwidth will grow along with it," stated Greg Potter, analyst at In-Stat. "Granted, broadband speeds are not yet fully utilizing the available bandwidth allowed by WiFi. However, newer use cases—such as streaming high-definition video from devices to the TV—necessitate an increase in bandwidth. New standards such as 802.11ac aim to provide that necessary speed increase."

The research revealed that the introduction of low-power WiFi chipsets presents a challenge to Bluetooth in certain markets. The 802.11ac will grow rapidly with chipset shipments to surpass 650 million by 2015. In the same year, the three biggest markets for 802.11ac will be smartphones, notebooks and tablets, noted In-Stat. Additionally, all of the chips shipping in the automotive market will be Bluetooth/WiFi combo chips.