Mobile PCs and smartphones will represent the top revenue opportunities for high-speed wireless integrated circuit (IC) suppliers by 2018, as these devices are projected to be the highest-volume applications in this market over the next five years, according to a new report from IHS Technology.
Between 2013 and 2018, more than 400-million high-speed wireless ICs are projected to ship cumulatively into the mobile PC market, generating global revenue of $2,5-billion, according to the new IHS report entitled 60GHz Technologies and other Competing Wireless Standards – World – 2013.
During the same period, more than 80-million high-speed wireless ICs are projected to ship cumulatively into the smartphone market, with worldwide revenue forecast to exceed $260-million in 2018.
IHS defines a high-speed wireless-enabled device as one that includes at least one of the following technologies: WirelessHD; WHDI; 802.11ad (WiGig); or multi-stream Wi-Fi (802.11n 3×3 higher or 802.11ac 2×2 and higher).
Shipments of high-speed, wireless-enabled mobile PCs are forecast to exceed 125-million devices in 2018, driven primarily by the adoption of multi-stream WiFi for these devices.
“The primary use cases for high-speed wireless mobile PCs will span both the consumer and enterprise markets,” says Stephanie Gibbons, senior analyst for connectivity at IHS.
“In the home, high-speed wireless-enabled PCs will be used to stream HD content to the TV on the home network. In the office space, mobile PCs equipped with high-speed wireless will be able to receive and transfer large files in seconds – compared to minutes – and act as a source device for larger displays for use in applications such as video conferencing.”
Annual shipments of high-speed wireless-enabled smartphones will reach 36 million devices in 2018, IHS projects, driven principally by the adoption of 60-Gigahertz technology. The primary use for high-speed wireless smartphones is expected to be HD video streaming from the smartphone to the TV within the home entertainment network.
