Austin, Texas - November 12, 2007 - The Wi-Fi Alliance todayannounced that more than 4,000 products have been Wi-Fi CERTIFED™ since the testingprogram began in March of 2000. Growth in the diversity of Wi-Fi-enabledproduct types, including consumer electronics and dual-mode mobile phones, aswell as next-generation 802.11n draft 2.0 products, have led to thecertification of more than 1,000 Wi-Fi® products over the last 15months.
Wi-Fi CERTIFIED testinghas grown at a rapid rate as manufacturers of networking and consumer Wi-Fienabled products seek the Wi-Fi Alliance's "seal of approval" for industry-wideproduct interoperability and security. Contributing to this growth is thelaunch of the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 program in June of this year. TheWi-Fi Alliance has certified 140 products for 802.11n draft 2.0 since theprogram began. This is nearly three times the number of products certified for802.11a/b/g in the first three months of their respective testing programs.
ABI Research predictsthat by 2012, 90% of Wi-Fi chipsets shipped will support 802.11n. The increasingmarket adoption of this next-generation Wi-Fi technology is helping drive the802.11n draft 2.0 certification rate.
"Wi-Fi has become a ubiquitous technology that is part ofour daily lives, whether we are connecting at home, at work, at an airport, ata park, or at a local coffee shop. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED brings more confidence thatWi-Fi products will work together and have the latest security protections onboard," said Karen Hanley, seniordirector of the Wi-Fi Alliance. "By offering Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products,manufacturers and telecom carriers help ensure higher customer satisfaction,which ultimately improves their bottom lines."
Market forecasts indicate rapid growth of Wi-Fi technologyis set to continue into the future. ABI Research predicts as many as 1.2billion Wi-Fi chipsets will ship in 2012. Of those shipments, more than 500million are estimated to be in mobile handset devices and 326 million inconsumer electronics. The research firm also predicts that in 2012, the Wi-Fiindustry will generate more than $19 billion in Wi-Fi products in services.
"The 4,000 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products milestone illustratesthe growing awareness and value of the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED brand as well as manufacturers' commitment to provide users apositive experience with Wi-Fi-enabled products," said Stan Schatt, vice presidentand research director, Networking, ABI Research.
Consumers and enterprise users of Wi-Fi products can find acomprehensive list of the more than 4,000 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products -- phones,gaming devices, cameras, laptops, access points and more -- at www.wi-fi.org.
Aboutthe Wi-Fi Alliance
TheWi-Fi Alliance is a global, non-profit industry association of morethan 300 member companies devoted to promoting the growth of wirelessLocal Area Networks (WLANs). With the aim of enhancing the user experience formobile wireless devices, the Wi-Fi Alliance's testing and certificationprograms ensure the interoperability of WLAN products based on the IEEE 802.11specification. Since the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliance'scertification program in March 2000, more than 4,000 productshave been designated as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ encouraging the expanded useof Wi-Fi products and services across the consumer and enterprise markets.
Mediacontact:
Edelmanfor Wi-Fi Alliance: Michael Diamond, michael.diamond@edelman.com, +1 650-429-2772.