- 11 May 2006 -

Home WiFi becomes mass market trend

According to a new survey of 2000 Internet users from Strategy Analytics' Connected Home Devices service, the wireless home is becoming a reality for millions of consumers. Some 20% of broadband subscribers across the US and Europe now use WiFi to share their Internet connection between PCs and other devices, according to the report just released, "Home Network Adoption: WiFi Emerges As Mass Market Phenomenon".
According to the report, 7% of all households now have a wireless network. The US is the leading market with 8.4% penetration, followed by the Nordic region with 7.9%. WiFi usage in the UK (6.1%) and Germany (5.1%) is below the average, surprisingly. The survey also found that consumers in the highest income groups were three times more likely to use WiFi than those in the least affluent.

"WiFi has become the preferred networking technology for affluent early adopters," notes David Mercer, Principal Analyst at Strategy Analytics. "Rising ownership of laptop PCs and other portable Internet devices will make WiFi the dominant home networking choice for most broadband subscribers."

Strategy Analytics' broadband user survey is based on online interviews with 2000 home Internet users in eight countries (USA, France, Germany, UK, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden). The survey included demographic and psychographic questions, as well as those related to ownership of digital consumer electronics devices, usage of broadband services and interest in emerging applications such as online media.

This will come as good news to the makers of III-V components for WiFi. Competitively priced systems are a triumph of engineering - for instance the InGaP HBT Power Amplifier Module from Anadigics for 802.11b and 802.11g WLAN applications. Measurging a mere 4 mm x 4 mm x 1.5 mm, the surface-mount module package has minimal external component count. This all helps WLAN equipment manufacturers to develop solutions that are at the same time cost-effective and small in size. This product's high performance, low cost and ease of use enables manufacturers of WLAN routers and access points to develop competitive equipment in a demanding market, the company being able to sell typical components at under two dollars in quantity.

Web: www.strategyanalytics.com