The global carrier WiFi equipment market covering the deployment of carrier WiFi access points and WiFi hotspot controllers by service providers has increased 6% from the second half of 2013 reaching $286 million in first half of 2014, according to market research firm Infonetics Research. Infonetics via its latest Carrier WiFi Equipment report also highlighted that the market ended $527 million in 2013, a gain of 9% from the previous year, driven in part by the deployment of small cells with integrated WiFi. Cisco, Huawei, and Ruckus Wireless (listed in alphabetical order) are the carrier WiFi market share leaders in the first half of this year.
Infonetics said that the evolution of network functions virtualization (NFV) offers the opportunity for more cost effective WiFi service delivery.
Richard Webb, directing analyst for mobile backhaul and small cells at Infonetics Research
The carrier WiFi market has seen a dynamic injection of growth in the last couple of years, driven by fixed and mobile operators seeking to extend and enhance their broadband subscription services. The push for service augmentation and upgrade to the 802.11ac standard, combined with the opportunities presented by Hotspot 2.0, voice over WiFi (VoWiFi), and network functions virtualization (NFV) to derive new service models, will drive the carrier WiFi market to $3 billion in 2018.
