Austin, Texas - November 12, 2007 - The Wi-Fi Alliance today announced that more than 4,000 products have been Wi-Fi CERTIFED™ since the testing program began in March of 2000. Growth in the diversity of Wi-Fi-enabled product types, including consumer electronics and dual-mode mobile phones, as well as next-generation 802.11n draft 2.0 products, have led to the certification of more than 1,000 Wi-Fi® products over the last 15 months.
Wi-Fi CERTIFIED testing has grown at a rapid rate as manufacturers of networking and consumer Wi-Fi enabled products seek the Wi-Fi Alliance's "seal of approval" for industry-wide product interoperability and security. Contributing to this growth is the launch of the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 program in June of this year. The Wi-Fi Alliance has certified 140 products for 802.11n draft 2.0 since the program began. This is nearly three times the number of products certified for 802.11a/b/g in the first three months of their respective testing programs.
ABI Research predicts that by 2012, 90% of Wi-Fi chipsets shipped will support 802.11n. The increasing market adoption of this next-generation Wi-Fi technology is helping drive the 802.11n draft 2.0 certification rate.
"Wi-Fi has become a ubiquitous technology that is part of our daily lives, whether we are connecting at home, at work, at an airport, at a park, or at a local coffee shop. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED brings more confidence that Wi-Fi products will work together and have the latest security protections on board," said Karen Hanley, senior director 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 technology is set to continue into the future. ABI Research predicts as many as 1.2 billion Wi-Fi chipsets will ship in 2012. Of those shipments, more than 500 million are estimated to be in mobile handset devices and 326 million in consumer electronics. The research firm also predicts that in 2012, the Wi-Fi industry will generate more than $19 billion in Wi-Fi products in services.
"The 4,000 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products milestone illustrates the growing awareness and value of the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED brand as well as manufacturers' commitment to provide users a positive experience with Wi-Fi-enabled products," said Stan Schatt, vice president and research director, Networking, ABI Research.
Consumers and enterprise users of Wi-Fi products can find a comprehensive list of the more than 4,000 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products -- phones, gaming devices, cameras, laptops, access points and more