Taiwanese WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) equipment shipments reached approximately 18.9 million units in the fourth quarter of 2004, 62% growth year-on-year and 17% growth sequentially. WLAN NIC (Network Interface Card) grew 68% year-on-year to account for roughly 17 million units, while WLAN AP (Access Point) registered 1.9 million units, a 27% year-on-year gain. Fourth quarter shipment value totaled US$349.1 million, an increase of 17% year-on-year and a slight 1.4% increase from the third quarter.
WLAN NIC built into notebook PCs saw a substantial boost given the rising penetration of Centrino platforms and the 17% sequential boost in global notebook shipments, which reached 14 million units in the fourth quarter owing to seasonal drivers. SOHO router, DSL equipment, and cable modem also saw a higher share of wireless offerings. 75% of SOHO router, 20% of DSL equipment, and 5% of cable modem shipments were equipped with wireless functionality, while sequential shipment volume gains of 13%, 2%, and 5% were realized, respectively. Orders for wireless printers and game consoles also drove Taiwanese WLAN NIC module and USB NIC shipments in the fourth quarter.
Prices for 802.11g NIC and AP continued their descent thanks to a sustained fall in chip prices. Coupled with a sequential drop in 802.11a+g equipment volume and prices, ASP exhibited a 14% fall to US$21.3 in the fourth quarter.
In the first quarter of 2005 Taiwanese WLAN shipment volume is expected to be boosted by NIC built into notebooks the heavier demand form a diversifying array of applications such as printer server and game consoles. AP volume, however, is likely to feel the effects of the weaker season. Overall, Taiwanese WLAN shipments are expected to reach 20.1 million units in the first quarter, a 6.5% rise from the fourth quarter of 2004.
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