BT Wholesale

INDUSTRY NEWS


20 May 2008

802.11n to overtake wired Ethernet in enterprises


Enterprise adoption of next-generation 802.11n wireless (Wi-Fi) technology is taking off at a dramatic level, despite the fact that the standard is currently only a draft, it has been revealed.

According to research from the Burton Group, in association with the Wi-Fi Alliance, enterprise IT managers around the world are piloting and deploying Wi-Fi Certified 802.11n draft 2.0 because of the substantial benefits in throughput and range it offers compared to previous generations of Wi-Fi.

Paul DeBeasi, senior analyst at the Burton Group, commented: "Wi-Fi Certified 802.11n will eventually surpass wired Ethernet as the dominant enterprise local area network (LAN) access technology.

He went on to urge enterprises to begin 802.11n migration planning and to ensure that they are fully aware of all deployment considerations.

Since it began testing in June 2007, some 35 enterprise-grade infrastructure products have been certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance, from a range of different vendors.

Meanwhile, analyst ABI Research has predicted that 47 per cent of all Wi-Fi chipsets shipped in 2008 will be 802.11n draft 2.0.

The research firm recently revealed that revenue from enterprise purchases of Wi-Fi access points now accounts for 32 per cent of all access point revenue, revealing the growing influence of small companies and home users in the market.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd.

MORE INDUSTRY NEWS