A new report by networking and telecommunications industries researcher Dell’Oro Group reveals that the Wireless LAN (WLAN) market grew nine percent in the fourth quarter 2013, versus the year-ago period. “802.11ac unit shipments approached 10% of total enterprise-class access points in the fourth quarter, which is in-line with the previous upgrade cycle towards 802.11n,” adds Chris DePuy, vice president of Wireless LAN research at Dell’Oro Group.
See also: 802.11ac Wi-Fi: Time for reality check?
More: Analyst sees WLAN growth stalling in 802.11ac transition
According to Dell'Oro, full year 2013 revenues for the market were $8.5 billion. Further, the report states that in the fourth quarter, market shares fluctuated significantly in the enterprise-class segment of the market, with challengers such as Juniper Networks, Meru Networks, Motorola Solutions and Ruckus Wireless gaining the most dollar share versus the previous quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2013, the top three vendors in the report's combined enterprise-class and outdoor mesh nodes category were Cisco Systems, Aruba Networks and Ruckus Wireless.
“We expect that by the end of 2014, all major vendors will be shipping 802.11ac-based access points, driving further growth," adds Dell'Oro's DePuy. "We expect there will be significant growth in the number of 802.11ac-based devices such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks, which will reinforce the need to upgrade wireless infrastructure.”
Learn more about Dell’Oro Group's Wireless LAN Quarterly Report.
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