Adoption of 802.11ax to Be ‘Swifter’ Than That of 5G Technologies, Says ABI

Wi-Fi will keep the “connectivity crown” in the 5G era, as chipsets compatible with IEEE’s 802.11ax standard break the 1 billion annual unit shipments barrier in 2022, said ABI Research Tuesday. Though it took several years to develop and ratify 802.11ax, “market adoption of this standard is anticipated to be swifter than the rollout of 5G technologies,” it said. Smartphones will drive the technology adoption of 802.11ax as the market “transitions away” from the 802.11ac standard beginning in 2019, it said. Mainstream adoption isn’t expected before 2020, once the standard “becomes increasingly leveraged in flagship devices from key smartphone vendors,” it said.