802.15.4 Chipset Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The 802.15.4 chipset market is expected to register a CAGR of 7%, over the forecast period (2021-2026). The IEEE’s 802.15.4 standard defines the MAC and physical layer of the network used by networking specifications, such as Zigbee, 6LoWPAN, Thread, WiSUN, and MiWi protocols. It is created to support low cost and low powered personal area networks.

With the increasing acceptance of IoT across different end-user levels, such as home and building and industrial, the stakeholders in the electronics space have been continuously innovating in rolling out the necessary components (chipsets, modules, etc.), to cater to these needs. 802.15.4 chipsets serve the purpose by utilizing a low-data rate, which, in turn, reduces the power consumption considerably.

Using 802.15.4 chipsets, along with ZigBee communication offering better network routing schemes, are designed to ensure power conservation and low latency through guaranteed time slots. Moreover, the reason that they are being deployed for various applications is that even if there is a single point of failure, the communication may not get affected due to the implementation of the mesh network.

An increasing number of used cases, depicting the use of 802.15.4-based chipsets for their smart home and other IoT products, lead to the growth of the market studied. However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, China, and European countries, manufacturing plants may sit idle, which may result in a scarcity of 802.15.4 chipsets for the manufacturers and retailers all over the world.

Key Market Trends

Increasing Adoption of ZigBee Communication Protocol is Expected to Drive the Market Positively

• ZigBee is one of the most widely-used IEEE 802.15.4 technologies accounting for the majority of the market share among other communication protocols. Wireless sensor network, which is based on IoT and can be used for Machine to Machine communications, comprises the less power consuming, lightweight, and active sensor nodes for higher network performance, and ZigBee is the real-time application for the wireless sensor networks used for low-cost data and energy consumption characteristics.
• Moreover, the Zigbee Alliance reported increasing sales of ZigBee chipsets, especially in connected lighting, smart meters, and climate control and comfort automation. It is due to this increasing acceptance by end users, many technology giants are joining the alliance to create new products. The latest companies to join the coalition include Amazon, Apple, and Google, and continue to develop the adoption of a royalty-free, connectivity standard with a high emphasis on security.
• Zigbee uses low data rates, low power consumption on small packet devices, whereas Bluetooth uses higher data rates, higher power consumption on large packet devices. Zigbee networks support devices with longer range and more in number, as compared to Bluetooth networks whose range is small. Zigbee’s instant network joining time (30 milliseconds) is more suitable for critical applications, while Bluetooth’s longer joining time is 3 seconds. The advantages that ZigBee offer over Bluetooth, especially in automation, are expected to increase the market revenue of 802.15.4 chipset.

Asia Pacific is Expected to Witness the Highest Market Growth

• The ongoing technological advancements in various IEEE's 802.15.4 based communication protocols create a lot of demand for better connectivity solutions for industrial automation applications, owing to the expanding trend of smart-cities and home automation in the region. These points are expected to increase the demand for 802.15.4 based chipsets in Asia-Pacific countries, such as China, India, Japan, and Korea.
• The demand for the IEEE 802.15.4 standard that is termed as a universally accepted standard for developers of smart city and IoT applications is expected to provide significant opportunities for chip manufacturers in the developing countries in Asia-Pacific.
• Moreover, India's vision to transform 100 cities into smart cities is expected to create a massive demand for 802.15.4 chipsets in the smart homes sector. The Indian government even announced to expand the Smart Cities Mission to over 4,000 cities across the country, which is expected to account for the massive growth of the market in this region.

Competitive Landscape

The 802.15.4 chipset market is quite fragmented, with many domestic and international companies offering 802.15.4 based chipsets. In terms of market share, current players, such as STMicroelectronics NV, NXP Semiconductors NV, and Qualcomm Inc., occupy the majority of the market share. However, with the advancement in 802.15.4 based communication protocols, new players are increasing their market presence, thereby, expanding their business reach across the developing economies.

• February 2020 - NXP Semiconductors NV released the JN5189 and JN5188 IEEE 802.15.4 wireless microcontrollers that are aimed to deliver ultra-low-power connected intelligence for Zigbee 3.0 and Thread applications. With this, NXP expands the JN series of devices, the JN5189 and JN5188 are NXP’s first to provide an integrated NFC NTAG, while supporting a wide operating temperature range from -40 ℃ to +125 ℃.
• October 2019 - Qualcomm Inc. launched a development kit based on the Qualcomm QCA4020 multi-mode SoC that is certified by Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service (AVS) for AWS IoT Core connected device. The Qualcomm Home Hub 100 is an integrated hardware and software platform, designed to support multi-mode intelligent connectivity, with the QCA4020 SoC featuring 02.15.4-based technologies, including ZigBee and Thread.

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