802.11b market continues to grow

November 19, 2001 Market-research firm Dell'Oro group expects vertical market segments to fuel 11-Mbit/sec-system growth despite emergence of a higher-speed wireless protocol.

Nov. 19, 2001

The 802.11b wireless LAN market grew 9% with revenues of $310 million in the third quarter, according to Dell'Oro Group.

The group reports that despite the recent introduction of higher-speed 802.11a products, the outlook for 802.11b continues to be strong. The group forecasts that the market will grow 35% in 2002.

"Despite economic weakness, the wireless LAN 802.11b market continues to grow," says Greg Collins, a director at Dell'Oro Group, based in Redwood City, CA. "Sales of enterprise-class products surged in the third quarter, fueled by a strong education vertical market."

Collins says part of the popularity for the market lies in the fact that wireless LANs are a tremendous convenience in campus locations, where flexibility is key and there are a large number of transient users.

"The growing acceptance and adoption of 802.11b in homes and universities bodes well for the long-term prospects of wireless LANs, as more and more people come to rely upon the convenience of mobile network connections," Collins says.

Dell'Oro Group is a market research firm that specializes in providing data on the networking industry.