Report forecasts $8.5B to be spent on Carrier Wi-Fi equipment over next 5 years
Infonetics Research has released its latest Carrier WiFi Equipment report, which tracks WiFi equipment deployed by operators in public spaces for wireless internet access.
“Over the 5 years from 2013 to 2017, operators will spend a cumulative $8.5 billion on Carrier WiFi equipment, led by mobile operators using Carrier WiFi for data offload,” notes Richard Webb, directing analyst for microwave and Carrier WiFi at Infonetics Research. “This strong growth will gain additional impetus from the proliferation of small cells with integrated WiFi over the coming years.”
According to the research, globally, revenue for Carrier WiFi equipment, including wireless access points and WiFi hotspot controllers, totaled $338 million in the first half of 2013 (1H13). Carrier WiFi revenue has already surpassed 2/3 of total revenue for the prior year, says Infonetics. The majority of carrier WiFi access points are also WiFi hotspots, notes the report.
Related: Cost comparison: Small cells vs. Carrier Wi-Fi , DAS
Infonetics finds that North America has consistently dominated Carrier WiFi revenue share since 2007, though by 2017 a regional share shift to Asia Pacific and EMEA is expected. As the Carrier WiFi market evolves and more operators launch Carrier WiFi services, Infonetics also expects fluctuations in vendors' market share, with the top 5 positions -- currently held by Cisco, Ericsson, Huawei, Ruckus, and Alcatel-Lucent -- potentially shuffled.
Infonetics’ Carrier WiFi report provides worldwide and regional market size, market share, forecasts through 2017, analysis, and trends for WiFi hotspot controllers and WiFi-only and dual-mode cellular/WiFi access points. The report includes carrier WiFi vendor announcements and customer wins. Vendors tracked include Airspan, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Aruba Networks, Edgewater Wireless, Ericsson (BelAir Networks), Huawei, Motorola Solutions, NSN, Ruckus Wireless, and others.
Learn more about the report.
