The global carrier Wi-Fi equipment market rose 16 percent in 2014, said Infonetics Research, now part of IHS.
Access points made up the bulk of carrier Wi-Fi revenue in 2014, while Wi-Fi controllers accounted for 22 percent of sales.
Global carrier Wi-Fi equipment revenue rose 23 percent to $336 million in the second half of 2014, over the first half of 2014 – driven by telecom operators such as China Mobile.
802.11ac access points contributed 17 percent to H2 2014 Wi-Fi access point revenue and are expected to drive hotspot upgrade expenditures through at least 2019.
SIM-based Wi-Fi access points have rapidly overtaken Wi-Fi hotspot access points as the highest volume segment. Telecom network vendors such as Cisco, Huawei and Ruckus Wireless are some of the players in the carrier Wi-Fi market.
The carrier Wi-Fi equipment revenue is expected to increase 88 percent in 2015.
“In addition to the demand for offload and broadband enhancement, technology innovations such as 802.11ac and Hotspot 2.0, and service opportunities like data analytics, location-based services and Wi-Fi roaming are driving carrier Wi-Fi deployment,” said Richard Webb, research director for mobile backhaul and small cells at Infonetics Research, now part of IHS.
The telecom industry analysis report said the market will get another push from mobile operators deploying small cells with integrated Wi-Fi over the coming few years.
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