Wi-Fi mesh networking takes off

The future is bright for Wi-Fi mesh networking technology as market watchers predict that equipment sales in the sector will enjoy over 90 per cent growth in 2007.

In-Stat forecasts that strong growth will continue for Wi-Fi mesh access points for the next "several years", and that shipments will grow more than threefold between 2006 and 2011.

Most of that growth is expected to come between 2006 and 2008, and to decline rapidly starting in 2009.

"Cities will continue to deploy municipal mesh networks, but the rate of new deployments after 2008 will slow due to concerns over the business model," said In-Stat analyst Daryl Schoolar.

"Growth in the enterprise market, and the need to replace previously deployed nodes, will help offset the slowdown in shipments to new municipal networks."

According to the In-Stat research, WiMax and cellular will both negatively affect the market as these services target the same nomadic users as public Wi-Fi networks.

• In-Stat report: 2007 Worldwide Wi-Fi Mesh Equipment Market

See also:

Security fears hold back Wi-Fi adoption

UK businesses still worried about deploying wireless Lans  29 Aug 2007

802.11n sounds death knell for wired Ethernet

Wireless will begin to erode wired Ethernet sales within three years  29 Aug 2007

Motorola files suit against Aruba Networks

Wirless switching and wireless Lan site planning technology patents disputed  28 Aug 2007

Wi-Fi world record set at 304km

Italian job sees radio hams steal record  23 Aug 2007

Man arrested in suspected Wi-Fi theft

Perched on a wall with a laptop? It's elementary, my dear Watson ...  23 Aug 2007

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