WLAN Market Hits Double-Digit Growth Rate

Synergy Research Group released a macro level summary of the WLAN market today. According to Synergy, the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) market posted its eighth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth and grew over 150 percent from 2000.

Synergy Research Group reported that Wireless LAN equipment sales increased almost 12 percent in the Fourth Quarter over the prior quarter with total sales reaching over $450 million and reached $1.47 billion for the year 2001. For the quarter, Enterprise WLAN equipment sales were flat, while SOHO/Home WLAN Equipment sales grew over 25 percent to $225 million and equaled that of the Enterprise. The group released the following tables summarizing the data:

Table 1. WW Enterprise WLAN Revenue Market Share

                                   4Q01                 YE 2001

Cisco                             35.4%                   31.1%

Agere                             18.4%                   20.4%

Symbol                            13.0%                   11.6%



Table 2. WW SOHO/Home WLAN Revenue Market Share

                                   4Q01                 YE 2001

Linksys                           22.1%                   21.1%

Buffalo                           19.2%                   20.2%

D-Link                            10.7%                   10.0%

The analysis firm also pointed to several other players in the WLAN market, including Alvarion, Avaya, Linksys, and Buffalo Technology, as having posted quarter-to-quarter growth of more than 40 percent each. Synergy stated that Linksys and Buffalo gained nearly three market share points each - in the SOHO market. In the Enterprise segment, Symbol Technologies gained more than two.