High-end gateways and STBs crowding out broadband routers
November 27, 2014
Market research firm Infonetics Research has released excerpts from its latest Home Networking Devices report, which tracks broadband routers; residential gateways; STBs; multimedia over coax (MoCA) optical network terminals (ONTs); and HomePlug Powerline, MoCA coax-Ethernet, and HPNA/G.hn adapters.
“In the more mature broadband markets of North America and Western Europe, service providers are deploying higher-end gateways and set-top boxes with integrated wireless and wired technologies to distribute video to multiple devices in the home. This is crowding out purchases of retail broadband routers,” notes Jeff Heynen, principal analyst for broadband access and pay TV at Infonetics Research.
“However, in emerging broadband markets, broadband routers continue to see shipment increases to add WiFi to home networks,” adds Heynen.
Report highlights include:
– Home networking devices are expected to bring in $13.4 billion on a global basis in 2014, 18 per cent more than last year
– 802.11ac routers represented just 2 per cent of all WiFi-enabled routers shipped in 2013, but Infonetics expects 802.11ac to make up 42 per cent of all WiFi-enabled router shipments by 2015
– Residential gateway revenue increased 0.5 per cent and broadband router revenue declined 7.0 per cent in 1H14 from 2H13
– The residential gateway and broadband router segments will continue to move in opposite directions as operators provide more advanced WiFi gateways to consumers for managed WiFi service in the home