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.