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The global Wi-Fi Test Equipment Market has earned revenues of $528.9 million in 2013 and estimates this to more-than-double to reach $1.09 billion in 2020, covering R&D, quality assurance (QA), manufacturing and field testing application segments, according to a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan. Frost attributed the growth to Communication Service Providers (CSP)' Wi-Fi testing needs to support their mobile traffic offloading.
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As for the 802.11ac testing equipment which is currently used in the R&D and QA testing phases, the adoption in manufacturing and field tests of consumer products would require a new set of intelligent testing solutions, noted Frost. The market research firm however cautioned that this segment poses many challenges such as the emergence of multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna used in 802.11ac products which require channel emulation for testing radio performance.
"More than 55 percent of all mobile data is expected to be offloaded to Wi-Fi networks in 2017, making it imperative for mobile operators to ensure that Wi-Fi networks are of carrier-grade quality. Wi-Fi technology 802.11ac and robust test and monitoring solutions are critical to achieve correct offloading and minimize overall customer churn. Test equipment vendors must ensure that their products can be updated continuously to avoid becoming obsolete within a few months of the launch. While some vendors are rolling out such products, many prefer holding off till the final standard is released."
- Olga Yashkova-Shapiro, Program Manager, Frost & Sullivan Measurement & Instrumentation
