Infonetics: 802.11ac Ramping Fast as Wireless LAN Market Sets Another Quarterly High

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Market research firm Infonetics Research released vendor market share and preliminary analysis from its 4^th quarter (4Q13) and year-end Wireless LAN Equipment and WiFi Phones report, which tracks access points, WLAN controllers, and WiFi phones for the enterprise. (Full report published by March 11.)

ANALYST NOTE

“It was another good year for the wireless LAN market despite the slowdown in growth as buyers awaited next-generation 802.11ac access points. Once these products became available in the second half of 2013, we saw intense interest from buyers, and it took just two quarters for 802.11ac to drive 10% of access point revenue,” notes Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst for enterprise networks and video at Infonetics Research.

“That’s a very good start out of the gate for 802.11ac, which bodes well for 2014,” adds Machowinski.

WLAN MARKET HIGHLIGHTS

• Sales of wireless LAN (WLAN) equipment again hit a new high, rising to $1.2 billion in 4Q13
• WLAN controller revenue was flat in 2013; the market is shifting to a services and software approach, and this is putting downward pressure on average selling prices and shifting revenue to interactive access points and services
• Almost 200,000 802.11ac access points shipped in 4Q13, a much faster ramp than 802.11n, thanks in part to the relatively small price premium of .11ac products
• Notable market share gainers in 2013 are Aerohive and Ubiquiti, who grew at 4 and 5 times the market, respectively
• WiFi phone revenue is up 23% in 2013 from the prior year, attributable to increased sales of higher-end models

802.11ac WEBINAR

Join analyst Matthias Machowinski March 27 for The Great 802.11ac Migration: Upgrade Now, or Wait?, a live event discussing the pros and cons of upgrading now vs. waiting for second-generation products. Learn more and register at: http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=754297&s=1&k=C352C7C8C168BF9272746E2118C12DDF

WLAN REPORT SYNOPSIS

Infonetics’ quarterly WLAN equipment report provides worldwide and regional market size, vendor market share, forecasts through 2018, analysis, and trends for WLAN infrastructure, including access points by type and technology, WLAN controllers, and enterprise single-mode WiFi phones. Vendors tracked: Aerohive, Alcatel-Lucent, Aruba, Brocade, Buffalo, Cisco, D-Link, Enterasys, Extreme, Juniper, Meru, Motorola, Netgear, HP, Ruckus, TP-Link, Ubiquiti, Xirrus, others. To buy report, contact Infonetics: http://www.infonetics.com/contact.asp.

RELATED REPORT EXCERPTS

• Latest Infonetics Enterprise Networking research brief: http://bit.ly/1fwgWSJ
• 40G Ethernet switch ports to pass $1 billion in 2014
• Cloud, higher-performance devices lift enterprise router market out of multiyear rut
• Mergers and buyouts stir enterprise telephony market; UC revenue climbs 31% in 2013
• Enterprises turning to M2M services to get a leg up on competition
• Hybrid cloud is next big thing in the data center
• Big jump in mobile device use in the workplace escalates wireless LAN deployments

RECENT AND UPCOMING RESEARCH

Download Infonetics’ 2014 market research brochure, publication calendar, events brochure, report highlights, tables of contents, and more at http://www.infonetics.com/login.

• Research Note: Enterprise Networking: 5 Key Trends for 2014 (Jan.)
• Research Note: Dell Ushers In the Year of the White Box Switch (Feb.)
• Enterprise Routers Market Share & Forecasts – Full Report (Mar.)
• Ethernet Switches Market Share & Forecasts – Full Report (Mar.)
• WLAN Equipment & WiFi Phone Market Share & Forecasts – Full Report (Mar.)
• Data Center & Campus Ethernet Switch Vendor Leadership: N.A. Enterprise Survey (Apr.)
• 1G/10G/40G/100G Networking Ports Market Size & Forecasts (Apr.)
• WLAN Infrastructure Vendor Scorecard (Apr.)
• Enterprise Telepresence & Video Conferencing Equipment Market Share/Forecasts (Mar.)

INFONETICS WEBINARS

Visit https://www.infonetics.com/infonetics-events to register for upcoming webinars, view recent webinars on demand, or learn about sponsoring a webinar.

• Using Big Data Analytics to Amplify Security Intelligence (Mar. 20: Attend)
• The Great 802.11ac Migration: Upgrade Now, or Wait? (Mar. 27: Attend)
• WLAN Control Goes to the Cloud (May 15: Attend)
• Enterprise Shift to the Cloud - Agility to Meet Business Requirements (June 3: Sponsor)
• Making the Enterprise WAN Cloud-Ready (2H14: Sponsor)

TO BUY REPORTS, CONTACT:

N. America (West), Asia Pacific: Larry Howard, [e-mail], [phone]

N. America (East, Midwest), L. America: Scott Coyne, [e-mail], [phone]

EMEA, India, Singapore: George Stojsavljevic, [e-mail], [phone]

Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan: http://www.infonetics.com/contact.asp

ABOUT INFONETICS

Infonetics Research (www.infonetics.com) is an international market research and consulting firm serving the communications industry since 1990. A leader in defining and tracking emerging and established technologies in all world regions, Infonetics helps clients plan, strategize, and compete effectively. View Infonetics’ About Us slides at http://bit.ly/QUrbrV.