New Converged Wi-Fi/Cellular Handsets to Take Market by Storm

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., June 26, 2006 - Converged Wi-Fi/Cellular handsets are expected to make a big splash, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). By 2010, shipments of cellular handsets containing Wi-Fi will exceed 132 million devices, the high-tech market research firm says. Carriers have been reluctant to offer Wi-Fi-capable handsets for several reasons, but Wi-Fi has spread so fast that carriers will not be able to resist much longer.

“In the end, most US cellular carriers will embrace Wi-Fi in their handsets, as carriers know that if they don’t, other carriers will, and these carriers will likely steal away some of their customers,” says Allen Nogee, In-Stat analyst. Combo handsets also offer carriers opportunities to provide services such as VoIP over Wi-Fi, lessening impact on their cellular data system.

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

More than 20 cellular handset models now have, or will soon be, released with embedded Wi-Fi access.

A few cellular carriers are planning to offer services that support voice calls over both cellular and Wi-Fi, and some Wi-Fi/Cellular handsets are incorporating VoIP clients for services like Skype.

It had been assumed that business customers would be first to adopt Wi-Fi/Cellular handsets, but in fact consumers are likely to be more receptive to early adoption of the technology.
Recent In-Stat research, The Road to Convergence: Wi-Fi/Cellular Handsets Get a Voice (#IN0602924WH), covers Wi-Fi/Cellular handsets and technology, and explores the motivation by cellular carriers to enter this market. The research contains five-year forecasts for Wi-Fi/Cellular handsets broken out by voice/data and consumer/business. In addition, a forecast of the number of Wi-Fi voice users of these phones is included.

This research is part of In-Stat’s Mobile Devices Service, which combines primary end-user and supply-side research to offer comprehensive reporting, worldwide industry and technology trends, user preferences, and forecasting for mobile devices, including wireless handsets, smartphones, and data devices. In addition to topical reports, quarterly summaries track global handset revenue and market share by manufacturer, air link, and region.

Readers of “The Road to Convergence: Wi-Fi/Cellular Handsets Get a Voice” may also be interested in "Business Wi-Fi Trends: Mobile PCs, Wireless Routers, and Cellular Phones Bring Wi-Fi into the Office (#IN0602858WS) http://www.instat.com/catalog/ncatalogue.asp?id=138#IN0602858WS. In addition, In-Stat has recently posted a free archive of its Wireless Broadband Evolution Webinar on: http://www.instat.com/events/wbbe/

To purchase this research, or for more information, please contact Tina Sheltra at 480-609-4531; Tina.sheltra@reedbusiness.com. The price is $3,495 U.S. Dollars.

Market Research from In-Stat

In-Stat offers a broad range of information resources and analytical assets to technology vendors, service providers, technology professionals, and market specialists worldwide. The company stands alone in its ability to integrate both supply-side and demand-side research methodologies into a single comprehensive view of technology markets and products. This capability relies on a unique ability to cover the entire value chain from engineering-level technology, through equipment, infrastructure, services and end-users.

In-Stat is a strategic segment of the $8 billion Reed Elsevier global information network, with access to an expansive worldwide electronic network, extensive technology databases and well-informed personnel. In-Stat analysts gain exceptional insight into geographic market places and specific technologies within markets such as electronics, cable and wireless. As a member of Reed Business Information, In-Stat is a division of the largest business-to-business publisher in the U.S.

###

Contact Information

Cheryl Cadden

Marketing Coordinator

In-Stat

Contact via E-mail