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The Unwiring of US Schools: A Golden Opportunity for Wi-Fi Vendors, Says ABI Research

Posted on: Friday, 18 January 2008, 09:00 CST

There are approximately 50 million primary and secondary school students in the United States, in more than 98,000 schools. Increasingly those schools' administrators want to provide Wi-Fi coverage for students and staff. This presents a major market opportunity and the leading Wi-Fi equipment vendors are pursuing it with vigor. A new ABI Research brief analyzes this burgeoning market and evaluates the vendors hoping to profit from it.

While there are some obstacles to this market's growth, including educational funding constraints, inadequate infrastructure, lack of trained personnel, and security concerns, a number of other factors are driving it. Moreover, the demographic breakdown of school districts is itself a plus: according to ABI Research vice president Stan Schatt, "The 100 largest US school districts represent over 20% of the total available market. Wi-Fi vendors addressing this market will clearly get the most 'bang for their buck' by targeting those large school districts first."

Four of the top Wi-Fi vendors -- Cisco Systems, Meru Networks, Aruba Networks, and Trapeze Networks -- are focused on this market, and they are all helped by forces driving Wi-Fi into schools. These include heightened concerns for physical security, meaning deployment of wireless surveillance cameras; the need for economical ways to extend schools' phone systems; the presence of purpose-designed Wi-Fi products; the birth of "anytime, anywhere," on-demand instruction, and last but by no means least, the One Laptop per Child initiative, which was designed for children in developing countries, but which also means a growing availability of low-cost laptops for US students.

Each of those vendors, however, brings its own strengths and weaknesses to the table. Some have developed powerful educational distribution channels and partnerships already; some offer unique network architectures; some are priced for tight school budgets. Others may be hampered by the high cost of their products, by their status as non-public companies, or by lack of sales resources or technical support.

"The K-12 Wi-Fi Market Opportunity" (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/research_brief/Wi-Fi_Market _Update/110) sizes this very lucrative market and describes the major drivers behind growth in the sale of Wi-Fi equipment to K-12 schools, as well as the obstacles to even more rapid growth. It also provides a SWOT analysis of the leading vendors. (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

It is part of the Wi-Fi Research Service (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/Wi-Fi_Research_Service), which also includes other Research Briefs, full-length Research Reports, Market Data, ABI Insights, ABI Vendor Matrices, and analyst inquiry support.

ABI Research is a leading market research firm focused on the impact of emerging technologies on global consumer and business markets. Utilizing a unique blend of market intelligence, primary research, and expert assessment from its worldwide team of industry analysts, ABI Research assists hundreds of clients each year with their strategic growth initiatives. For information, visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.

Source: Business Wire

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