Sales of wireless local-area network (WLAN) equipment in the Asian region excluding Japan grew an annual 67 percent to more than US$250 million last year, an industry report said yesterday.
Technology research firm International Data Corp (IDC) said the number is expected to reach US$338 million this year as wireless Internet and network access in public areas and workplaces becomes more popular.
"This growth was propelled by the increase in public hotspot deployment, consumer and small business sector demand, bringing total revenue to surpass US$250 million," the IDC said.
WLAN is increasingly popular in Asia, especially among so-called corporate mobile road warriors who need easy access to hotspots to log into the Internet in airports or commercial establishments.
Hotspots are locations that allow users to surf the Internet without literally being plugged in.
Adoption of WLAN by corporations, which has lagged behind services for individual users, is likely to grow this year as management turns to wireless solutions to address existing connection issues, IDC said.
"Despite the strong overall performance of the market for WLAN equipment, enterprise adoption continues to be below expectations," said Adrian Ho, IDC's regional senior market analyst.
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