In-car Wi-Fi to grow eightfold over seven years

Though Wi-Fi has low attach rates in automotive applications in North America and Western Europe, that is on the verge of changing as IMS Research estimates the market for Wi-Fi in original equipment manufacturer (OEM) automotive applications will expand eightfold over the next seven years. Bluetooth never fulfilled its promise as a communications mode for in-car apps--in part because high-speed Bluetooth never materialized--but Wi-Fi is expected to be quite a different story as attach rates ramp up quickly. The ubiquity of Wi-Fi as a connectivity solution in a broad range of consumer electronics is driving this trend. Likely Wi-Fi in-car use cases include hotspots, wireless screen duplication, tethering, wireless car diagnostics and wireless software upgrading. "The recent Wi-Fi Alliance announcement regarding Wi-Fi Miracast is very exciting. Some in the industry see this being used in conjunction with MirrorLink for wireless screen duplication," said Filomena Berardi, senior analyst at IMS. Release