New bureaus to support Wi-Fi implementers throughout Asia.
The Wi-Fi Alliance reports that it has opened branch offices in both Beijing, China and Taipei, Taiwan. Wi-Fi Alliance staff based in the new branch offices will provide market and technical support to Wi-Fi Alliance member companies and engage with industry stakeholders throughout Asia. Companies considering membership in Wi-Fi Alliance can also interface with the branch office staff to learn more about the organization and its activities.
According to an official statement, the office openings come in response to continued growth in the number of Wi-Fi Alliance members and the number of Wi-Fi users in Asia. Together, China and Taiwan companies reportedly comprise nearly twenty percent of the Wi-Fi Alliance overall membership today. Nearly half of all Wi-Fi Alliance member companies are headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region, and they account for about two-thirds of Wi-Fi Alliance product certification volume. Wi-Fi Alliance also has a total of seven Authorized Test Laboratories in Asia: four in China, three in Taiwan.
“We are pleased to establish bureaus in China and Taiwan, and to expand support to our members and stakeholders throughout Asia,” comments Wi-Fi Alliance president and CEO Edgar Figueroa. “Our member companies in Asia deliver innovative Wi-Fi solutions and participate in Wi-Fi Alliance activities, and China and Taiwan both represent important consumer and enterprise markets for Wi-Fi.”
Program development and certification activity in Wi-Fi Alliance is at an all-time high in 2013, reports the association. More than 15 distinct initiatives are underway in the organization, addressing a broad range of applications including data offload for service providers, home monitoring and smart energy, and consumer electronics. ABI Research forecasts that Wi-Fi sales will grow at an average rate of 16 percent each year until 2017.
