2Wire and Thomson Gain Wi-Fi Market Share

2Wire and Thomson were big winners in the 2008 Wi-Fi market, growing their shipments by nearly 60% annually. Each significantly outperformed the overall market, gaining market share, reports In-Stat. 2Wire achieved 11% share, while Thomson's share grew to almost 8%. Market share among the other leading competitors, Linksys, Netgear, and D-Link was flat or down in 2008 compared to 2007.

In 4Q08, worldwide revenue for the overall WLAN market decreased by 2.4% year-over-year (YoY), down from $1.19 billion in 4Q07 to $1.16 billion in 4Q08. Despite the overall market decline in 4Q08, revenue and shipments of draft 11n products grew by over 80%.

"While all markets are challenged in the current economic climate," says Victoria Fodale, In-Stat analyst, "we expect Wi-Fi to continue to do well, as its low cost, flexibility, and maturity make it a valued technology for both businesses and consumers."

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• Quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) worldwide Wi-Fi revenue declined by 5.2%, with shipments also declining YoY and QoQ.
• In the consumer/SMB category, D-Link, NETGEAR, Buffalo, and 3Com, all had increases of draft 11n AP shipments in 4Q08.
• Q4 2008 market share for Draft n NICs was 31.6%, 22.3%, 19.7%, and 12.5% for Linksys, D-Link, NETGEAR and Buffalo, respectively.

Posted to the site on 21st April 2009