by Anton Shilov
07/01/2005 | 06:15 PM
Broadcom Corp. announced Friday that is had shipped over 50 million WLAN chips since 2002. This is about ¼ of all Wi-Fi controllers ever sold, notes the company. Furthermore, Broadcom claims that sales of its wireless networks controllers outpaced even Intel with its Centrino components in 2004.
<%BANNER[article]%>“The wireless networking market has experienced tremendous growth in recent years due to the stability of the IEEE 802.11g standard and the widespread availability of interoperable products. We expect continued success for Wi-Fi chip vendors who can differentiate their solutions with value-added features and adapt their solutions for the next wave of embedded opportunities,” said Celeste Crystal, Wireless LAN Analyst for IDC.
Broadcom’s high performance Wi-Fi product line includes 54g (802.11g, 54Mbps), the world’s most popular wireless LAN technology, according to Broadcom. In addition to transceivers that provide IEEE 802.11g and dual-band 802.11a/g solutions, Broadcom integrates wireless network processors, communications technologies and OneDriver software solutions into reference designs that speed customer time-to-market. As a result, Broadcom WLAN partners continue to develop computers, routers, peripherals, phones, broadband modems and a variety of consumer electronics devices enabled by Broadcom’s technology.
To date, more than 200 million Wi-Fi products have been sold worldwide. The convenience and affordability of wireless connectivity, as well as wire-like performance and security, have spurred the significant adoption of Wi-Fi technology for home and business networks. This growth is expected to continue as Wi-Fi products deliver greater performance and ease-of-use, and the universe of wireless applications expands. As a result, many consumer electronics manufacturers are incorporating Wi-Fi technology to enhance the user experience of next generation devices such as gaming consoles, voice over IP (VoIP) handsets and mobile phones.
Among the 50 million WLAN chipsets sold by Broadcom, the majority of Broadcom’s Wi-Fi shipments have consisted of its 54g wireless LAN chipsets, which provide maximum performance wireless connectivity in such products as notebook and desktop PCs, printers and other peripherals, networking equipment, broadband modems and consumer electronics devices.
According to IDC’s Worldwide Wireless LAN Semiconductor 2004 Vendor Profiles, in 2004, Broadcom sold more Wi-Fi chipsets than any other semiconductor vendor, outpacing Intel's Centrino shipments by more than 65%.
Current Broadcom Wi-Fi partners include Acer, Apple, Asus, Belkin,