Working in a competitive industry demands that you become a data-driven organization. As a technology solution provider, effectively leveraging data can unlock significant advantages, such as driving market expansion and fostering innovation. Unfortunately, all too many companies lack an analytical approach to decision-making.

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) solutions have historically struggled to gain traction in the industrial markets, with industrial organizations traditionally favoring tried and tested fixed cable over what they view as unreliable wireless. Yet recent technical advances in WLAN, including 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), 802.11bn (Wi-Fi 8), and Standard Power 6 Gigahertz (6 GHz), are enabling WLAN to handle more complex and more demanding industrial tasks for the first time. Alongside this, industrial organizations are increasingly in need of WLAN to service the new mission-critical applications (e.g., Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs)) that depend upon wireless. These developments are helping to expand the addressable market for industrial WLAN, and ABI Research forecasts that annual ruggedized industrial WLAN Access Point (AP) shipments will increase from 3.2 million in 2024 to 4.9 million in 2030.

One of the most exciting capabilities of Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE) audio is Auracast™ broadcast audio.

Have you ever had trouble hearing a flight announcement at the airport? Or wish you could hear the audio on a muted TV while using a treadmill at the gym? Auracast™-supported transmitters can address pain points like these by sending direct-to-ear audio signals to an unlimited number of nearby users.

Not only will Auracast™ unlock new audio-sharing experiences for mainstream consumers, but the technology improve the quality of life for people with accessibility issues. With Auracast™, people who require assistive listening devices can tune into a low-latency broadcast using their own personal device instead of needing a Radio Frequency (RF)-capable device provided to them from the venue.

Key Takeaways:

• Auracast™ brings direct-to-ear audio. It uses Bluetooth® LE Audio to stream announcements, TV sound, and shared audio directly to personal devices and hearing aids.
• The technology improves accessibility. Users no longer need venue-provided hardware, making assistive listening simpler and more inclusive.
• Auracast™ unlocks versatile use cases. From silent TVs in gyms and airports to multi-language event support and guided tours, it enhances audio experiences across many settings.
• Public deployments have already begun. Early rollouts include the Sydney Opera House, UK transport hubs, and U.S. churches, signaling momentum for broader adoption.

Introduction: The world of embedded systems is multi-faceted – from hardware and software to services and tools. ABI Research’s Senior Director Andrew Zignani and Senior Analyst Reece Hayden attended the Embedded World Exhibition & Conference in Germany last week. Here they present their key takeaways from the event.

Every week, countless technology stories emerge across industries around the world. However, identifying and reading each development can be challenging while balancing your other day-to-day tasks. But if you want to stay ahead in your industry and evaluate the most promising technology solutions for your organization, it’s vital to keep up with the latest and greatest tech.

Digital transformation is synonymous with the widespread use of connected devices (Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) within an industrial environment. In many cases, enterprises will seek to enable connectivity of these IIoT devices with low-cost, low-powered solutions capable of being deployed at scale. For these reasons, Bluetooth^® technology is increasingly essential in digitalizing factories, warehouses, smart buildings, farms, hospitals, retail stores, mining sites, and other enterprise settings. The wireless technology facilitates various industrial applications by providing short-range communication capabilities. ABI Research forecasts more than 600 million annual shipments of Bluetooth^®-enabled industrial devices by 2028, nearly a six-fold increase from 2022.

Acquiring reliable connectivity is a baseline requirement for the modern enterprise campus. However, campus networks are a little trickier to provide quality Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) services than traditional enterprise networks. This is because campus networks have divergent connectivity requirements and encompass a wide range of industries. Adding to the challenge is the fact that campus networks require scalable indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi solutions that support long-distance building-to-building connectivity. These connectivity challenges have borne a number of technological advancements from WLAN vendors.

One key challenge retailers face is inaccurate pricing on product shelf labels. If one of your customers expects a product to cost US$4.99, but learns upon checkout that the actual price is US$9.99, how do you think they will respond? Some customers might shrug it off and not think twice about it; however, most will be left with a bad taste in their mouth and perhaps lose their brand loyalty. Retailers are increasingly adopting Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs), replacing traditional paper labels to prevent this scenario. While ESLs have existed for years, the installed base is low. Newer connectivity technologies are unlocking far more value for retailers beyond dynamic pricing, spurring greater demand for ESLs in a post-COVID-19 world.

Have you ever been in a rush to go somewhere, but heavy traffic slowed you down? If only a private lane was reserved for just you, you’d never have to worry about traffic again. While you’ll never get a lane to just yourself, the next best thing is using the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane when you can. In the world of campus Wireless Local-Area Network (WLAN) solutions, the 6 Gigahertz (GHz) spectrum is your HOV lane. Compared to the more popular 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz spectrums, the 6 GHz spectrum is far less congested. The additional capacity of 6 GHz significantly benefits Campus Area Networks (CANs), notably those enterprise campuses, education, large public venues, and the hospitality sector.

In times of economic uncertainty, the main priority of an enterprise is to sustain operations in the most economical and simplified way possible. Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) deployment models are the perfect solution to this challenge for enterprise Wi-Fi connectivity. A virtualized NaaS model means cloud-based software takes precedence over physical on-premises management, with management and maintenance responsibilities outsourced to a Managed Service Provider (MSP) or sometimes the equipment vendor directly. Enterprises typically “pay as they go” for access to NaaS, ensuring that wastage is minimized and expenses align with their business needs.  Although they're skeptical now, ABI Research forecasts that more than 9 in 10 enterprises will use this usage-based consumption model for at least a quarter of their network services by 2030. Moreover, our analyst team projects a 72% boost in NaaS revenue by the end of the decade.

But why are an increasing number of enterprises turning to NaaS, and what do infrastructure vendors stand to gain from this new service model?