Freescale extends leadership position in processors for wired and wireless networking markets

AUSTIN, USA: Freescale Semiconductor has extended its position as the market leader in wired and wireless communications processors according to rankings recently issued by analyst group Gartner. The firm ranks Freescale number one with 53 percent of the market in 2010 and separates Freescale from its closest competitor by more than 40 percent.

Freescale continues to maintain its strength in communications processors, growing market share year over year from 2009 to 2010. The industry’s rapid adoption of Freescale’s multicore QorIQ products played a key role in the leadership expansion.

“Adoption of multicore QorIQ processors among customers targeting wired and wireless communications processors is strong and getting stronger,” said Brett Butler, VP and GM, Freescale’s Networking Processor Division. “There is tremendous opportunity ahead for further innovation in communications processors and Freescale is leading the way with its QorIQ communications platforms.”

Global growth of IP traffic is driving tremendous demand for rich digital content and pushing for advances in wired and wireless networking equipment. According to Gartner, wireless data volumes are doubling every year on a worldwide basis.

Freescale established the communications processor market in 1989 by delivering the industry's first multi-protocol microprocessor, and since then has shipped more than 300 million communications processor units. The versatile devices are used in routers, switches, digital line cards, wireless LAN access/aggregation points, unified threat management (UTM) appliances, voice over IP (VoIP) equipment, customer premises equipment, SOHO and enterprise routers, as well as printer, high-end imaging and storage applications.