The impending use of intelligent or smart antennas for WiFi, cellular and broadband wireless platforms suggests that this specialty antenna industry is ready to take off. According to a recent report released by Kings Park, N.Y.-based market research firm Visant Strategies, over the next year the use of intelligent antenna technology in high-end cellular handsets and in WiFi products will provide two new launching pads for the industry. The Visant report titled “Intelligent Antennas: From MIMO to Beamforming and Other Innovations,” shows that more than 3 million intelligent antenna (IA)-enabled handsets are anticipated to ship through 2006.

“Phone vendors will ship CDMA EV-DO handsets that utilize IA technology in next 12 months,” said report author and analyst Andy Fuertes. “CDMA2000 carriers in South Korea, the U.S. and other high-end markets will use these handsets, making it the first widespread use of the technology in the mobile market since PHS.”

GSM operators in the developing world, the study finds, will apply IA technology selectively within base stations, and even broader support for IA is expected from TD-SCDMA operators. Approximately 40,000 mobile base stations are expected to ship IA capabilities in 2010 due to cellular wireless data demands, which the study finds will also drive demand for IA-enabled point-to-point (PTP) microwave backhaul.

WiFi providers are shipping pre-802.11n products that feature multiple-in multiple out (MIMO) capabilities and the study finds other IA technologies are expected to appear within WiFi gear during 2005. Standardized MIMO devices will follow within 18 months, as per this study, with the value of shipments of IA equipped WiFi devices exceeding $3 billion in 2010.

IA developments within the WiMAX segment continue briskly behind the scenes with IA-enabled base stations becoming a fixture within some WiMAX infrastructure for capacity and coverage, states the Visant report.

The report provides global forecasts for annual IA deployments, unit shipments, and revenues within the mobile wireless, 802.20, 802,16, WiFi, and point-to-point radio segments through the end of the decade (see Table 1). It analyzes previous missteps and successes of the technology and the impact of the technology in the future.

Some key players driving the technology include Airgo Networks Inc., Intel, AirNet Communications Corp., Array Comm Inc., Antenova Ltd., CalAmp Corp., InterDigital Communications, Lucent Technologies, Magnolia Broadband, Motia Inc., Navini Networks, Nortel Networks Corp., Paratek Microwave, Qualcomm, WaveRider Communications and Vivato Inc.

Table 1. Intelligent Antenna Cumulative Deployments and Annual Shipments and Dollar Value of Shipments: World Market 2004-2010