Wireless LANs: Opportunities & Challenges in Home Entertainment, Voice, and Public Access

SUMMARY

The market skyrocketed as small businesses and consumers embraced wireless LANs for PC networking and broadband Internet access sharing. Now wireless LAN technology is poised to serve new markets for home multimedia, cellular-cordless interoperation, "hot zones," and various machine-to-machine applications. To succeed, vendors must understand the specific business and technology requirements of each of these markets. Based on dozens of interviews with industry insiders, this report identifies the chief obstacles to success and what various competitors are doing to overcome them.

How You Benefit from purchasing this report:

This report is the result of more than three dozen in-depth interviews--typically lasting one hour each--with chipset designers, device manufacturers, makers of security and network management systems, large end-user organizations, and independent experts. These interviews yielded information and insights not available elsewhere. Topics discussed included market size and composition, competitive positioning, strategies for developing new markets, and various wireless LAN controversies (network architectures, cell size, relationship with mobile phone, role of "pre-n" products and 802.11n standard, and more).

You also get:

• One hour of consultation by telephone or e-mail (for explanation, elaboration, and (at our discretion) additional research).
• Unique "match-making" service: we will help you find and contact potential partners, strategic customers, and subject experts.
• An independent, objective, and experienced view of the wireless LAN industry. We have been tracking the wireless LAN industry since its inception 15 years ago.
• Important insights regarding applications, markets and competitors.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• 1.1 OPPORTUNITIES
• 1.2 CHALLENGES
• 1.3 STRATEGIC BUSINESS IMPLICATIONS
• 1.4 FORECAST
• 1.5 KEY CONCLUSIONS

2 THE CURRENT SITUATION

• 2.1 WLAN TECHNOLOGY
  • 2.1.1 Wi-Fi standards
  • 2.1.2 Proprietary enhancements
  • 2.1.3 Centralized vs. decentralized architecture
  • 2.1.4 Security
  • 2.1.5 Management
  • 2.1.6 Roaming
  • 2.1.7 Interoperation with mobile phones
  • 2.1.8 Weaknesses & vulnerabilities
  • 2.1.9 Competition
• 2.2 WLAN MARKET STRUCTURE
  • 2.2.1 Market evolution and product segmentation
  • 2.2.2 Consumer
  • 2.2.3 Small business
  • 2.2.4 The enterprise: supply chain management
  • 2.2.5 The enterprise: cubicles & carpets
  • 2.2.6 Hot spots, zones, and cities
• 2.3 WLAN INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
  • 2.3.1 Chipset suppliers
  • 2.3.2 Manufacturers
  • 2.3.3 Sales channels
• 2.4 STANDARDS & REGULATION
  • 2.4.1 Unlicensed use
  • 2.4.2 IEEE standards
  • 2.4.3 Industry groups

3 WIRELESS LAN TRENDS

• 3.1 TECHNOLOGY
  • 3.1.1 Cell size: larger or smaller?
  • 3.1.2 IEEE 802.11n
  • 3.1.3 Pre-standard products
  • 3.1.4 Planning vs. managing
  • 3.1.5 Wi-Fi phones
  • 3.1.6 Cellular interoperation
  • 3.1.7 Embedded solutions
• 3.2 APPLICATIONS
  • 3.2.1 SOHO networks
  • 3.2.2 The enterprise network
  • 3.2.3 Wireless VoIP
  • 3.2.4 Metropolitan area applications for wireless LANs
  • 3.2.5 Home entertainment
  • 3.2.6 M2M and smart dust

4 VENDOR PROFILES

• 4.1 CHIPSET SUPPLIERS
  • 4.1.1 Actiontec
  • 4.1.2 Airgo Networks
  • 4.1.3 Atheros Communications
  • 4.1.4 Broadcom Corp.
  • 4.1.5 Conexant Systems
  • 4.1.6 Engim
  • 4.1.7 Intel
  • 4.1.8 Marvell
  • 4.1.9 Metalink Broadband
  • 4.1.10 Quorum Systems
  • 4.1.11 Silicon Integrated Systems
  • 4.1.12 Skyworks Solutions
  • 4.1.13 WavePlus
• 4.2 WIRELESS LAN INFRASTRUCTURE
  • 4.2.1 5G Wireless
  • 4.2.2 Airespace
  • 4.2.3 Aruba Wireless Networks
  • 4.2.4 Chantry Networks
  • 4.2.5 Cisco Systems
  • 4.2.6 Colubris Networks
  • 4.2.7 Ericsson CDMA Systems
  • 4.2.8 Netopia
  • 4.2.9 Nomadix
  • 4.2.10 Proxim
  • 4.2.11 ReefEdge Networks
  • 4.2.12 SMC Networks
  • 4.2.13 Symbol Technologies
  • 4.2.14 Trango Systems, Inc.
  • 4.2.15 Trapeze Networks
  • 4.2.16 Tropos Networks
  • 4.2.17 Vivato, Inc.
• 4.3 OTHER WIRELESS LAN SOLUTIONS
  • 4.3.1 AirMagnet
  • 4.3.2 Airwave Wireless, Inc.
  • 4.3.3 Alvarion
  • 4.3.4 Aramova
  • 4.3.5 Askey
  • 4.3.6 Belkin Corporation
  • 4.3.7 Bluesocket
  • 4.3.8 Boingo Wireless, Inc.
  • 4.3.9 Buffalo Technology
  • 4.3.10 Cirond
  • 4.3.11 Delta Networks, Inc.
  • 4.3.12 D-Link Systems, Inc.
  • 4.3.13 Enterasys Networks
  • 4.3.14 Excilan
  • 4.3.15 Extended Systems
  • 4.3.16 Gemtek
  • 4.3.17 GoRemote Internet Communications, Inc.
  • 4.3.18 iAnywhere
  • 4.3.19 Intermec Technologies Corp.
  • 4.3.20 iPass Inc.
  • 4.3.21 Kineto Wireless
  • 4.3.22 Lantronix
  • 4.3.23 Linksys (a Division of Cisco Systems)
  • 4.3.24 LiteOn
  • 4.3.25 Meru Networks
  • 4.3.26 Motorola
  • 4.3.27 P-com, Inc.
  • 4.3.28 PCTEL/Maxrad
  • 4.3.29 Psion Teklogix
  • 4.3.30 Radwin
  • 4.3.31 ROAMad
  • 4.3.32 Senforce
  • 4.3.33 Socket Communications, Inc.
  • 4.3.34 Solectek
  • 4.3.35 UMAX
  • 4.3.36 Wayport, Inc.
  • 4.3.37 WiSE Technology
• 4.4 ORGANIZATIONS
  • 4.4.1 Bluetooth SIG
  • 4.4.2 Wi-Fi Alliance
  • 4.4.3 ZigBee

TABLE OF ACRONYMS USED IN THIS REPORT

Figures

• Figure 1: Forecasted wireless LAN sales, by access points and client devices, worldwide, 2004-2009 (millions of units)
• Figure 2: Forecasted wireless LAN sales, by world region, 2004-2009 ($billions)
• Figure 3: Key wireless LAN management issues
• Figure 4: Two alternative architectures for Wi-Fi & mobile phone interoperation
• Figure 5: Multipath propagation creates multiple signals on the same frequency channel
• Figure 6: Multipath signals may cause modest (a) or severe (b) interference
• Figure 7: Basic illustration of a 2x2 MIMO system
• Figure 8: Illustrations of direct sequence spread spectrum (DS/SS) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)

Tables

• Table 1 Factors driving/reinforcing/inhibiting wireless LAN market growth
• Table 2 Comparison of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and UWB technologies
• Table 3 Comparing major wireless LAN market segments
• Table 4 Comparison of public WLAN and cellular data solutions
• Table 5 Comparing the IEEE 802.11a/b/g/ and anticipated 802.11n standards
• Table 6 Comparing large- and small-cell Wi-Fi networks
• Table 7 Comparing the WWISE and TGn Sync proposals
• Table 8 Factors driving/inhibiting development of MIMO-OFDM solutions
• Table 9 Factors driving/inhibiting development of wireless VoIP market
• Table 10 Factors driving/inhibiting development of wireless home entertainment market
• Table 11 Factors driving/inhibiting development of the Wi-Fi-based M2M market
• Table 12 Acronyms used in this report