Wireless LAN (WLAN) equipment reached $1.2 billion in Q4 2013, said Infonetics Research. Cisco, Aruba, HP and Ruckus Wireless are leading the WLAN market.
The report said 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 Q4 2013, 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.
Wi-Fi phone revenue is up 23 percent in 2013 from the prior year, attributable to increased sales of higher-end models.
“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 percent of access point revenue,” said Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst for enterprise networks and video at Infonetics Research.
