Digital Lifescapes

The industrial sector is on the eve of a wireless transformation, driven by an urgent demand for greater network capacity, reliability, and deterministic performance. Historically, manufacturers and mission-critical operations have relied on wired networks — favoring their predictability — because spectrum congestion in legacy 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands limited confidence in wireless for operational technology (OT) environments. However, with the introduction and rapid adoption of the 6GHz spectrum, compounded by significant advances in Wi-Fi standards, industrial facilities are now poised to embrace wireless LANs as the backbone for automation and digital innovation. Industrial WLAN Market Development Recent research from ABI Research forecasts that over 70 percent of industrial-grade wireless LAN access points (WLAN APs) shipped in 2030 will support the 6GHz band. This is a leap from 2 percent in 2023, highlighting a rapid and profound technological shift. The market for ruggedized indust...

The market for industrial facilities networking is undergoing a significant transformation. Operational Technology (OT) networks, traditionally reliant on wired connections, increasingly embrace wireless solutions. This shift is driven by several factors, including the need for greater flexibility, improved efficiency, and the emergence of new applications fueled by the Internet of Things (IoT).  At the forefront of this transformation lies a utilization of the 6 GHz band in industrial Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), a communication innovation. Industrial WLAN Market Development According to the latest worldwide study by ABI Research, they forecast a surge in industrial WLAN access points supporting the 6 GHz spectrum, with shipments rising from 2 percent in 2023 to 71 percent by 2030. The growth of industrial WLANs can be attributed in large part to the limitations of traditional wired networks. Dense deployments of sensors, robots, and other connected devices create a const...

Wireless communication solutions in the enterprise continue to gain momentum from new technologies and associated software applications. Across all industries and geographies, the demand has increased substantially over the last couple of years. Meanwhile, the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) market is growing in complexity with the new Wi-Fi standards, 6 GHz spectrum availability, Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity integration, disruptive business models, and more value-added services. Enterprise WLAN Market Development Furthermore, the evolution of cellular and WLAN technologies is pushing CIOs and CTOs to consider deploying heterogeneous Wi-Fi + 5G networks that can optimize performance, cost, reliability, and enable new use cases fundamental to digital transformation. These market dynamics and innovative solutions can drive enterprise WLAN infrastructure revenues to reach $14.5 billion by 2028, according to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research. ABI analysts will n...

It's likely that the global COVID-19 pandemic will impact parts of the legacy enterprise networking sector, as fewer employees at the more progressive companies return to a headquarters office campus, branch office, or other traditional workplaces. However, some IT networking sectors continue to grow. Revenues in the enterprise segment of the wireless local area networking (WLAN) market grew at 24.6 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2021 (1Q21). In the consumer-class WLAN market, revenues increased 11.7 percent in the quarter, giving the combined enterprise and consumer WLAN markets year-over-year growth of 16.7 percent in 1Q21, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Wireless LAN Market Development The 24.6 percent growth in the enterprise-class segment of the market builds on a strong end of the year in 2020, with fourth-quarter 2020 revenues increasing 10.3 percent year over year. Combined, two strong quarters in a row indicate ...

The success of Wi-Fi 6 isn't a foregone conclusion. There's growing interest among CIOs and CTOs in strategic applications for fifth-generation (5G) network deployment with unlicensed and shared spectrum in both the consumer and the enterprise Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) markets.  Distributed Antenna Systems (DASs) have become a vital component for in-building wireless cellular communication coverage, especially in the U.S. and Asian markets. However, many legacy DASs are facing challenges incorporating 5G and increasing the overall capacity of the systems. To overcome these challenges, many Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are starting to transition from traditional in-building DASs to 5G-Ready digital Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) due to technical and financial aspects and a smooth transition to 5G networks. Wireless Infrastructure Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, worldwide revenue for DASs will grow approx. 2.7 times...

In the past, most CIOs and CTOs would consider Wi-Fi infrastructure as the primary mode of delivering wireless local area network connectivity to their organization. Now, the development of fifth-generation (5G) cellular technologies has created alternative modes of wireless networking. Moreover, the demand for private networks in the enterprise domain continues to rise. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, private cellular network deployments within the enterprise domain will generate equipment revenues of more than $64 billion by 2030. While very large enterprises will likely drive the market for the next 10 years -- accounting for 50 percent of private networks by 2030 -- companies with annual revenues between $250 million and $1 billion will account for 40 percent of private networks by 2030, with their proportion expected to rise further beyond the forecast period. Private Cellular Network Market Development "These numbers underline the huge momentu...

Unlicensed wireless communication has transformed internet access across the globe. The upward growth trajectory continues to rise for Wi-Fi applications. More than 20 billion Wi-Fi devices are forecast to ship between 2019 and 2024, according to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research. Continued adoption in traditional markets of strength, alongside traction in mesh networking systems, smart home, automotive, and IoT applications will drive the Wi-Fi market forward to nearly 4 billion annual device shipments by 2024. Wi-Fi Device Market Development "2019 marks the 20th anniversary of Wi-Fi, though the technology shows no signs of slowing down," says Andrew Zignani, principal analyst at ABI Research . "Wi-Fi 6 is quickly gaining momentum in networking devices, while client devices are already arriving into the market and are anticipated to ramp up considerably over the next 12-18 months." According to the ABI assessment, demand for faster, more r...

Mobile internet adoption has been on a path of exponential growth across the globe, as more low-cost smartphones and media tablets join the millions of new notebook computers entering the marketplace. Many of those devices will connect via Wi-Fi access. Moreover, wireless access to the public internet is a key component of the essential infrastructure that will enable emerging Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Therefore, significant new investment in Wi-Fi access points will likely become an indicator of market development activity. The combined consumer and enterprise worldwide wireless local area network (WLAN) market segments increased 2.1 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2015 (3Q15), according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC ). The overall enterprise segment growth rebounded by 4.3 percent over the same period last year. "The growth seen in 3Q15 is relatively weak compared to 2014 and before, but still represents a pos...

Wi-Fi technology demand continues to increase across the globe, as more people seek wireless access to the internet and a variety of cloud services. The combined consumer and enterprise worldwide Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) market segments increased 7.0 percent year over year in the first quarter of 2014 (1Q14). According to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), the enterprise segment continued to grow at a healthy rate and increased 10.3 percent over the same period last year. While the pace of the enterprise WLAN market growth has been steadily decreasing over the last several quarters, the market continues to be one of the faster growing networking market segments. The consumer WLAN market also had a stable quarter in 1Q14 and grew 3.8 percent year over year. The growth in the consumer WLAN space benefited from the ongoing transition from the older 802.11n Wi-Fi standard to the newer and faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard as well as a so...

As people increasingly demand more flexible workplace environments, enterprise IT departments are being pressured to incorporate Wi-Fi wireless access and functionality into their set of network features. According to the latest market study by In-Stat , this trend will lead to an increase in demand for wireless access points (WAPs). "Out of this opportunity, comes stiff competition. Industry giants such as Cisco are facing increasing pressure from smaller companies that focus wholly on the WLAN," says Brad Shaffer, Research Analyst at In-Stat. Companies like Meru Networks are already taking small bites out of the traditional industry leader portion of the pie. Meru has seen notable growth in WAP shipments and installed customer base. According to a recent press release, in the fourth quarter of 2010 Meru's installed base increased nearly 50 percent year-over-year. In-Stat estimates Meru Networks experienced a 19 percent increase in their WAP market share in 2010. ...