Global growth in WLAN is set to slow after the push to 802.11n, reckons market research firm Infonetics Research in its Q213 Wireless LAN Equipment and WiFi Phones report.
"The major event in the wireless LAN space this quarter was initial shipments of enterprise class 802.11ac access points, marking the beginning of another technology transition," noted Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst for enterprise networks and video at Infonetics Research.
"But the impact of 802.11ac will be minor in 2013, and with the transition to 802.11n almost complete, growth rates have been cut in half in 2013," Machowinski adds. "Global wireless LAN equipment revenue grew 14% year-over-year in the 2nd quarter of 2013, versus growing almost 30% year-over-year in the 2nd quarter of 2012. Still, WLAN remains the fastest growing network equipment segment."
Globally, the enterprise wireless LAN equipment market recovered from a seasonally slow 1st quarter, growing 12% to $1.12bn in 2Q13. Interactive access point revenue is up 21% in 2Q13 from the year-ago 2nd quarter (2Q12), reflecting the shift toward centrally-managed WLAN
Following years of languishing, outdoor access point shipments are back on a strong growth trajectory, up 22% year-over-year in 2Q13, propelled by service provider WiFi deployments, it says.
After showing resilience against negative macroeconomic trends in 2012, growth in EMEA is slowing in 2013, but the perennial leaders in the WLAN space - Cisco and Aruba - both turned in solid performances in 2Q13, gaining revenue share, it says.