One Billionth Wi-Fi Semiconductor to be Shipped in 2008

Press Release - March 7, 2007

Wi-Fi semiconductor shipments skyrocketed to 200 million in 2006, according to ABI Research’s quarterly “Wi-Fi IC Market Share Analysis and Forecasts” report, bringing cumulative sales of 802.11 chipsets to 500 million worldwide.

These numbers indicate that the one billionth Wi-Fi product will likely be shipped sometime around the middle of 2008.

“Cumulative shipments of one billion Wi-Fi ICs mark a significant milestone, but even more impressive, there will be well over a billion chipsets shipped in 2012 alone,” commented ABI principal analyst, Philip Solis, who noted that cell phones and consumer electronics would account for over two thirds of that total.

“From our point of view, cellular handsets and consumer electronics were always the most important end products for Wi-Fi chipset vendors to focus on,” Solis went on to say. “With more than two-thirds of Wi-Fi chipsets going into these two product categories in 2012, it is critical for chipset vendors to secure the appropriate customer wins in order to sustain or grow their market share.”