Abstract
The WLAN industry has become one of the most fast growing technology implementation in the history of networking. Its application originated from PC to access points, transmitting only data information. As newer and faster technology being introduced to the market, WLAN has extended its footprint into other consumer devices such as smart phones, televisions, blue-ray players, set-top boxes, etc…with a broadening range of application including surveillance, video streaming and potentially smart grid. Several generations of WLAN standards have been introduced to the industry. Various semiconductor solution providers participated in the competition. Some players were pioneers and dominated the market for a certain period of time but eventually exited the market due to lack of competency. Broadcom is not the first to market but has successfully gained significant market share over couple of generations of WLAN evolution. Taiwanese suppliers entering the market resulted in severe price competition and commoditization. A new generation of WLAN – 802.11ac is being standardized and anticipated to launch in volume starting end of 2012 to 2013. Broadcom has decided to promote it’s new product branding and ingredient branding strategy. This is a study of Broadcom’s 5GWiFi branding strategy and how it impacts Broadcom’s WLAN business.