All signs point towards integration of as many wireless protocols as possible into one chipset and thus, one device. This is driven in part by semiconductor companies responding to the constant commoditization of chips and elimination of margins by attempting to add as much value as possible into a single RF component and thus stave off the inevitable margin erosion. The massive and single-minded effort to integrate all available RF protocols into the same component is also encouraged by regulatory bodies such as the FCC, who envision an opportunity to charge spectrum licenses not just once, but perhaps multiple times. The US military is also stimulating the effort, in large part as a self-serving means to purchase off-the-shelf parts for its ‘Connected Battlefield’.
The primary growth areas for wireless components over the next 5 years are Wireless Broadband and Wireless Sensor Networks. In the Wireless Broadband segment, key emerging protocols to evaluate include LTE, IEEE 802.11n, and IEEE 802.16e (colloquialized as ‘mobile WiMax’). RFID, ZigBee, and IEEE 802.15.4 are the standard protocols likely to dominate the Wireless Sensor segment over the next 10 years. In fact, potential cross-over between RFID and ZigBee, as well as possible inclusion of the IEEE 802.15.4a low data rate with location specification into a coming evolution of ZigBee, create a tangled yet very powerful scenario for wireless sensor standards.
For more information about wireless market evolution see our report, which analyzes the primary wireless technologies and protocols in place today as well as those emerging through the standardization process.