WLAN sales in Europe, Middle East and Africa increased 9.2% in Q3 2004

EMEA WLAN market increased by 9.2% in Q3 2004 compared to Q2, reaching total end-user revenue of $349.8 mln. The residential market continues to be the main driver of WLAN growth. During Q3 2004 over 1 mln wireless routers/gateways were shipped, primarily to the residential market. Shipments of standalone access points decreased by 11%; however, since more enterprise-grade access points were shipped, revenue decreased by only 8%. Price erosion among add-on NICs put revenue under pressure, and although shipments increased by 17%, revenue grew only 8% in this sector.Revenue for wireless switches increased slightly during Q3 2004. Airespace, which OEMs its products to Alcatel and Nortel continued to see its revenue increase and now holds the number 1 position, followed by Symbol. Revenue from 802.11g products continued to grow during Q3 2004, resulting in a 62% share of the market, while revenue for 802.11b products decreased and dual-band solutions revenue remained flat.