Securities trading firm Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. recently released a report entitled “Wi-Fi – Cordless Computing: Through the Air with Greatest of Ease.” Penned by Bear Stearns technology analysts Andrew Neff and Ted Chung, the report explores the future of wireless networking technology over the next five years.
Wi-Fi is the moniker adopted by many companies that sell hardware designed to work using the IEEE 802.11b standard, like those sold by Apple as its “AirPort” products. According to Neff and Chung, while Wi-Fi will see substantial demand from both enterprise and home users because of the convenience of wireless networking, the big push will come from markets where users spend lots of time away from their desks: sales, factory floor, service and delivery personnel, for example.
As an investment firm, Bear Stearns has a key interest in where the money is to be made in Wi-Fi networking, and Neff and Chung suggest that Wi-Fi will “drive growth in horizontal and vertical markets” like notebook computers, handheld tablets and wireless ISPs. They profile more than 55 public and private companies in their report, including Apple. Unfortunately, the report is available to Bear Stearns clients only.