Qualcomm to lead $4.3 bn smartphone wi-fi chip market in 2021

New Delhi, Oct 15 Chip-maker Qualcomm is set to increase its lead in the $4.3 billion smartphone Wi-Fi chip market in 2021, despite Broadcom's win in Apple's iPhone 13, according to a new report.

Market research firm Strategy Analytics projects that Qualcomm, Broadcom and MediaTek will capture the top three spots in the $4.3 billion smartphone Wi-Fi chip market in 2021.

"Qualcomm will continue to gain share in Wi-Fi in smartphones this year even as competition increases from MediaTek and others. Qualcomm leverages its market-leading Snapdragon platform to win share in smartphone Wi-Fi chips," said Christopher Taylor, author of the report.

Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E also helped boost the smartphone Wi-Fi chip market and "we expect rapid adoption of these technologies to provide growth opportunities for chip vendors in 2021 and beyond."

The report looked at estimated units and revenue for 2020 by Wi-Fi supplier, and then projected this forward to 2021 based on expected smartphone volume by brand and model.

"Broadcom continues to differentiate its Wi-Fi chips in the premium tier Wi-Fi despite stiff competition from platform players such as Qualcomm and MediaTek," said Stephen Entwistle, VP of the Strategic Technologies Practice at Strategy Analytics.

It appears that "Broadcom will go to extraordinary lengths to stay relevant, maintain its relationship with Apple, and expand its wins in smartphones," he added.