CONNECT WITH US

Digitimes Research: Wi-Fi chipmakers taking different paths for growth

Danny Kuo, DIGITIMES Research, Taipei

In the first half of 2014, Wi-Fi chipmakers can be divided into two groups: one focusing on developing Wi-Fi chip solutions with better specifications and higher speed, and the other that is no longer interested in increasing the number of antenna or transmission speed, but instead focusing on meeting Wi-Fi chip demand for emerging applications.

The number of Wi-Fi antenna marks a major difference between the two groups. Chipmakers who focus on pushing high-end specifications mostly support four Wi-Fi antenna specifications with some pushing 6- to 8-antenna solutions.

These chipmakers are also persuading their brand partners to put more antenna in their products to strengthen communication performances. Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone's dual-antenna setup and Asustek Computer's RT-AC3200 router's 6-antenna design are expected to become the new trends for top-end products in the future, Digitimes Research analyzed.

As for the other group of chipmakers who are mainly eyeing the markets for wearable devices and Internet of Things (IoT) are mainly focusing on making their 1- to 2-antenna solutions smaller, cheaper, less power consuming and powerful in terms of performance. They are also working on industries such as car electronics and medical devices.

Content from this article was part of a complete Digitimes Research Chinese-language report that has not yet been translated into English. If you are interested in an English version of the report or wish to receive more information about the report, click here to contact us and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Digitimes Research also provides quarterly tracking services for market sectors such as China Smartphone, China Smartphone AP, Taiwan ICT and Taiwan FPD. Click here for more information about Digitimes Research Tracking services.