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 out-performed 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,. 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. The research, “WLAN Market Share Report” (#IN0904490WL), examines the WLAN market for 4Q08. Market shares for enterprise and SOHO/consumer vendors are provided, based on unit shipments and manufacturer's revenue for the quarter. The data is segmented by air standard and equipment form factor, including: Total, Access Points, NICs Multimode, 802.11g, Draft N By Region: North America, EMEA, Asia Pacific, ROW