Siân Morgan

Research Director

WLAN infrastructure has become a critical part of the enterprise network.  Many organizations have moved to a “Wi-Fi First” or “Wi-Fi Only” networking model, growing the worldwide market of both AP shipments and license revenue. WLAN features have evolved to boost adoption and revenue in a competitive market.

To take advantage of the opportunities in this market, component manufacturers, equipment vendors, service providers, and financial institutions need to answer critical business questions including:

  • How are the phases of post-pandemic supply constraints, backlogs, and equipment digestion expected to evolve?
  • Is the worldwide WLAN market maturing, and if so, how will this influence growth rates?
  • How much market growth is coming from price increases?
  • Which vertical industries are growing?
  • How does the adoption of Wi-Fi 7 compare to previous technologies? How will this influence the adoption of Wi-Fi 6E?
  • What are the vendor strategies for new technology introduction?
  • When will Wi-Fi 8 be introduced to the market?
  • What changes are unfolding in cloud-managed Wi-Fi, and how are subscription prices changing?
  • How will enterprises’ adoption of AI impact future WLAN shipments and revenues?
  • How is 5G and CBRS impacting Wi-Fi in the enterprise?

To answer these and other important questions, Dell’Oro Group delivers both quarterly reports and 5-year forecasts on the Wireless LAN market.

Wireless LAN Quarterly Reports

Dell’Oro Group publishes Wireless LAN quarterly reports with in-depth market and vendor-level information by the following segments:

    • Indoor and Outdoor Access Points (separately reported)
    • Controllers & Licenses

The reports include tables showing manufacturers’ revenue, units shipped, and average selling prices. We report each of the major wireless LAN standards:

  • 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7)
  • 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E separately)
  • 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5, Wave 1 and Wave 2 separately)
  • 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4)
  • 802.11a/g
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11b

We also track:

  • Enterprise sales by vertical industries (including finance & professional services, government, healthcare, higher education, hospitality, K-12 education, logistics, manufacturing, retail)
  • Public Cloud-Managed vs. Premises + Private Cloud-Managed deployments
  • Enterprise sales by customer size

Wireless LAN 5-Year Forecasts

Dell’Oro Group publishes Wireless LAN 5-year forecasts offering a complete overview of the market with historical data from 2000 to the present. The forecasts provide a comprehensive overview of market trends and include tables covering manufacturer revenue, units shipped, and average selling prices. We forecast each of the major wireless LAN standards:

  • 802.11 bn (Wi-Fi 8)
  • 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7)
  • 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E separately)
  • 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5, Wave 1 and Wave 2 separately)
  • 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4)
  • 802.11a/g
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11b

We also track:

    • Regions of the world
    • Public Cloud-Managed vs. Premises + Private Cloud-Managed

Click here to contact us for more information about the Wireless LAN research program or about purchasing options.