Infonetics Research has revealed that the global wireless LAN (WLAN) market, including sales of enterprise access points, WLAN controllers, and WiFi phones, declined sequentially by 7% in Q1 of 2013, to $1 billion. However, despite the dip in sales, WLAN equipment revenue remains on a double-digit year-over-year growth trajectory for the 14th quarter in a row, reports the technology market analyst firm.
The firm's new 1st quarter (1Q13) Wireless LAN Equipment and WiFi Phones market share and forecast report finds that independent access point shipments are down nearly 50% in an otherwise growing market, illustrating the shift toward centrally managed WLAN architectures. Market share-leaders Cisco and Aruba at numbers one and two were the only WLAN vendors with double-digit revenue, finds the report; third place in the market is characterized as a race between HP, Motorola, and Ruckus Wireless.
“As we’ve cautioned before, growth in the WLAN market is slowing as the transition to 802.11n winds down and buyers await the arrival of 802.11ac products,” comments Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst for enterprise networks and video at Infonetics Research. “Even so, WLAN remains a bright spot in the networking industry, and is up 18% year-over-year in 1Q13, driven by more wireless devices, mobility, and the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movement.”
See also: WLAN market booming behind enterprise, outdoor segments, but volatility may lie ahead
