MUMBAI: Over 204 million Wifi-enabled consumer devices were sold last year by India and in 2019, an 8 per cent growth is expected to touch 221 million units, according to a report by techArc.

According to the report, with 65 per cent contribution in the total sales, mobile phones have become the most-used Wifi-enabled devices. 23 per cent is expected to be contributed by feature phones, followed by 4 per cent and less to PCs and others. 

During the year 2018, all WiFi-enabled devices sold were based on WiFi 4 or WiFi 5 standards. 31.39 per cent of WiFi 5 was sold by the country whereas 68.61 per cent of WiFi 4 standard was sold in the previous year.

In the future, the country will see WiFi of 6th standard which will be supported by the flagship smartphones. It is expected that with more flagships being launched supporting this standard, the actual enablement would happen only in the first quarter of 2020.

techARC founder and chief analyst Faisal Kawoosa said, “The future lies in wireless high-speed connectivity and WiFi offers one of the most reliable and affordable alternatives to it. We have seen so far WiFi enablement through legacy IT and communications devices like laptops, routers and smartphones. This is now shifting to other consumer electronics like TVs, lighting, ACs, and refrigerators.”

The report also added that the Indian market will move towards WiFi 5 in 2019 and it’s expected that the contribution of WiFi 5 devices will more than double by the year end owing to expected growth in Smart TVs including streaming devices as well as other homes automation or smart devices leveraging WiFi connectivity.