Andrew Zignani
Senior Research Director
Research Focus
As Senior Research Director for ABI Research’s Strategic Technologies team, Andrew Zignani conducts research into the rapidly changing wireless connectivity market, with a particular emphasis on market forecasts and qualitative insight covering Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 802.15.4, Near Field Communications (NFC), HaLow, WiGig, and other emerging wireless standards and protocols. Andrew also writes reports on the technological evolution and long-term prospects for wireless connectivity technologies, particularly as they increasingly target new verticals across the Internet of Things (IoT).
Read More
Topics Covered
Wi-Fi & WLAN Technologies & Markets
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth & Wireless Connectivity
Insights
Low-Power, Tiny Footprint Connectivity and Edge AI at the Forefront of embedded world Wireless Innovations
Insight | 2Q 2025 | IN-7769
How Wireless Innovation and Agentic AI Will Converge to Enable Next-Generation Smart Living Experiences
Insight | 1Q 2025 | IN-7742
CES 2025 Reaffirms the Importance of Wireless Connectivity Innovation in Enabling the “AI Home” Concept
Insight | 1Q 2025 | IN-7700
How will Bluetooth® Channel Sounding Shape the Future of Device Positioning?
Insight | 1Q 2025 | IN-7672
What Is the Outlook for Extremely High Throughput Wi-Fi 7 in 2025?
Insight | 4Q 2024 | IN-7636
Will 2025 Be Full Steam Ahead for Ultra-Wideband Adoption?
Insight | 4Q 2024 | IN-7589
How L5 Band-Only Solutions Can Help Solve Growing GNSS Jamming and Spoofing Challenges
Insight | 3Q 2024 | IN-7476
Nearly 5 Years after the First UWB Smartphone, Is the Technology Flourishing or Floundering?
Insight | 2Q 2024 | IN-7365
Hannover and Over Again—How the “5G Only” Message Continues to Hold Back Industrial Wireless Innovation
Insight | 2Q 2024 | IN-7332
Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Was at the Forefront of MWC 24 Connectivity Innovation, but Challenges Remain
Insight | 1Q 2024 | IN-7265
One Year on from the Bluetooth® Electronic Shelf Label Standard, How Has Bluetooth® Impacted the Market?
Insight | 1Q 2024 | IN-7234
What Does the NFC Forum’s New Technology Roadmap Mean for NFC Adoption in 2024 and Beyond?
Insight | 4Q 2023 | IN-7152
As the 6 GHz Spectrum Battleground Heats Up, What Could Further 6 GHz Allocation Mean for Wi-Fi in Europe?
Insight | 4Q 2022 | IN-6726
NFC in 2022: Improved User Experience, Wireless Charging, Tag Evolution, and Technology Collaboration
Insight | 1Q 2022 | IN-6402
Wi-Fi HaLow’s New Certification to Expand the Technology’s Portfolio
Insight | 4Q 2021 | IN-6341
2021: The Year of UWB?
Insight | 1Q 2021 | IN-6064
How Will Wi-Fi 6 and 6E Intersect with 5G?
Insight | 3Q 2020 | IN-5895
How RTLS Vendors Are Helping to Combat COVID-19
Insight | 3Q 2020 | IN-5867
FCC Makes 1.2 GHz of 6 GHz Spectrum Available, Enabling Next Decade of Wi-Fi to Flourish
Insight | 2Q 2020 | IN-5820
Qorvo Acquires Decawave as Ultra-Wideband Momentum Continues
Insight | 2Q 2020 | IN-5782
Is 2020 the Year of Dual-Frequency GNSS Smartphones?
Insight | 1Q 2020 | IN-5747
CES 2020 Provides a Glimpse of the Next Decade of Wireless
Insight | 1Q 2020 | IN-5728
Research
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets Market Data Overview 1Q 2025
Presentation | 1Q 2025 | PT-3144
Bluetooth Market Tracker
Market Data | 1Q 2025 | MD-BMT-105
How Multi-Protocol Wireless Platforms Are Enabling The Next Wave Of Wireless Innovation
Whitepaper | 3Q 2024 | WP-211
Bluetooth Market Tracker
Market Data | 3Q 2024 | MD-BMT-104
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 3Q 2024 | MD-WCMT-196
Wi-Fi Market Tracker
Market Data | 3Q 2024 | MD-WMT-104
Wireless Connectivity Market Data Overview: 3Q 2024
Presentation | 3Q 2024 | PT-3143
How Can Wi-Fi Technology Enable Digital Transformation Across The Industrial IoT?
Whitepaper | 2Q 2024 | WP-204
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 2Q 2024 | MD-WCMT-195
Wi-Fi Market Tracker
Market Data | 2Q 2024 | MD-WMT-103
Wireless Connectivity Market Data Update: 2Q 2024
Presentation | 2Q 2024 | PT-3235
Bluetooth Market Tracker
Market Data | 2Q 2024 | MD-BMT-103
Auracast™ Broadcast Audio Retrofit Solutions And Opportunities
Whitepaper | 1Q 2024 | WP-196
Wi-Fi Market Tracker
Market Data | 1Q 2024 | MD-WMT-102
Bluetooth Market Tracker
Market Data | 1Q 2024 | MD-BMT-102
How Can Bluetooth® Technology Enable Digital Transformation across the Industrial IoT?
Whitepaper | 1Q 2024 | WP-1032
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 1Q 2024 | MD-WCMT-194
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 3Q 2023 | MD-WCMT-193
Wi-Fi Market Tracker
Market Data | 3Q 2023 | MD-WMT-101
Bluetooth Market Tracker
Market Data | 3Q 2023 | MD-BMT-101
The Continued Evolution of Short-Range Wireless New Technologies, Future Enhancements, and Emerging Market Opportunities
Whitepaper | 3Q 2023 | WP-1018
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 2Q 2023 | MD-WCMT-192
Bluetooth Electronic Shelf Labels: Retail Market Opportunities and Challenges
Presentation | 2Q 2023 | PT-2716
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 1Q 2023 | MD-WCMT-191
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 4Q 2022 | MD-WCMT-190
Bluetooth LE Audio: Market Opportunities and Challenges
Report | 4Q 2022 | AN-5431
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 3Q 2022 | MD-WCMT-189
The Future of GNSS: Opportunities and Challenges for Mass Market Positioning
Report | 2Q 2022 | AN-5362
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 1Q 2022 | MD-WCMT-188
Outdoor/Wide Area Location Technologies
Market Data | 1Q 2022 | MD-OSC-105
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 4Q 2021 | MD-WCMT-187
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 3Q 2021 | MD-WCMT-186
Transformational Technology Summit: The Future of RTLS
Presentation | 1Q 2021 | PT-2499
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 1Q 2021 | MD-WCMT-185
Outdoor/Wide Area Location Technologies
Market Data | 1Q 2021 | MD-OSC-104
Manufacturing and Supply Chain Summit: 5G WiFi and RTLS for Manufacturing
Presentation | 4Q 2020 | PT-2423
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 4Q 2020 | MD-WCMT-184
Indoor Positioning and RTLS: Technology Infrastructure, Applications, and Revenue
Market Data | 4Q 2020 | MD-RTLS-103
Ultra Wideband Market Opportunities and Challenges
Report | 3Q 2020 | AN-5200
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 3Q 2020 | MD-WCMT-183
Wireless Connectivity Market Update
Presentation | 2Q 2020 | PT-2360
Outdoor/Wide Area Location Hot Tech Innovators
Presentation | 1Q 2020 | PT-2364
Wireless Connectivity Technology Segmentation and Addressable Markets
Market Data | 1Q 2020 | MD-WCMT-182
Industrial Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Market Tracker
Market Data | 1Q 2020 | MD-IBWM-101
Andrew Zignani In The News
Wi-Fi 7 platform for high-end consumer and industrial IoT
ee News (2024-01-4)
Andrew Zignani, Senior Research Director, ABI Research, commented: “Ceva’s wireless connectivity IPs play an integral role in the proliferation of connectivity standards in the broad IoT markets, as is evident from their customer’s success in shipping more than 1 billion connectivity chips annually....
Citation
Connected product, a Bluetooth jump-rope, reflects digital shift
Tech Target (2023-03-17)
Crossrope AMP, one of several connected jump-ropes vying for customer attention, is part of a growing trend. ABI Research expects unit shipments of connected consumer products to exceed 166 million annually by 2028. That's more than triple the 54 million units shipped in 2022. The sports equipment...
Citation
How airlines give you internet access at 35,000 feet — and why it still needs a lot of work
CNN (2022-09-3)
The one major drawback of this technology is that, much like cellphone service on the ground, it is dependent on the density and connectivity of towers, and so flights over rural areas, deserts or large water bodies are likely to suffer drops in connectivity. The maximum speeds for these systems are...
Citation
Apple's U1 Chip, Android Boost UWB Tech That Lets Your Phone Unlock Your Car
CNET (2022-05-25)
"Being able to determine precisely where you are in an environment is increasingly important," said ABI Research analyst Andrew Zignani, who expects shipments of UWB-enabled devices to surge from 150 million in 2020 to 1 billion in 2025. "Once a technology becomes embedded in a smartphone, that...
Citation
Chinese Wi-Fi IoT Market to Grow at a CAGR of 29% and Reach $916.6 Million in 2026
Everything RF (2022-01-20)
he increasing demand for Wi-Fi-enabled applications and the advent of new standards such as Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 7 has created the need for new software and hardware components such as Wi-Fi chipsets and devices that can support the latest standards. “To meet the surging Wi-Fi demand, the...
Citation
Global satellite broadband addressable market to grow to 330 million premises by 2026
Computer Weekly (2021-12-1)
A study from global technology intelligence firm ABI Research has provided more evidence that broadband operators are reaching for the stars over the next few years. It calculates that the serviceable addressable market (SAM) for global satellite broadband over geostationary (GEO), medium earth...
Citation
CNet: Android will get an answer to Apple AirTags. Here's how UWB location tech works
CNet (2021-10-12)
"Being able to determine precisely where you are in an environment is increasingly important," said ABI Research analyst Andrew Zignani, who expects shipments of UWB-enabled devices to surge from 150 million in 2020 to 1 billion in 2025. "Once a technology becomes embedded in a smartphone, that...
Citation
CNet: Apple AirTags rely on UWB. Here's how ultra wideband will make your life easier
CNet (2021-04-20)
"Being able to determine precisely where you are in an environment is increasingly important," said ABI Research analyst Andrew Zignani, who expects shipments of UWB-enabled devices to surge from 150 million in 2020 to 1 billion in 2025. "Once a technology becomes embedded in a smartphone, that...
Citation
Security Info Watch: Open Your Mind to CES Innovations
Security Info Watch (2021-02-12)
Future Tech: Wi-Fi Sensing The rise of ultra-fast Wi-Fi 6 has opened up possibilities for expanded security technologies in the home. In a report prepared for NXP Semiconductor, Andrew Zignani, Principal Analyst for ABI Research’s Strategic Technologies team, says: “New enhancements to Wi-Fi...
Citation
CNet: Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra adds UWB location tech: What you need to know
CNet (2021-01-15)
"Being able to determine precisely where you are in an environment is increasingly important," said ABI Research analyst Andrew Zignani, who expects shipments of UWB-enabled devices to surge from 150 million in 2020 to 1 billion in 2025 "Once a technology becomes embedded in a smartphone, that opens...
Citation
Telecoms News UK: 2021 Will Be the Year Ultra-Wideband Will Emerges as a Key Wireless Connectivity Technology for Indoor Positioning
Telecoms News UK (2020-12-29)
n its new whitepaper, 68 Technology Trends That Will Shape 2021, ABI Research’s analysts identify 37 trends that will shape the technology market and 31 others that, although attracting huge amounts of speculation and commentary, are less likely to move the needle over the next twelve months. “For...
Citation
One Zero - Medium: Welcome Back to the Office. Please Wear This Tracking Device.
One Zero - Medium (2020-11-12)
“If you go onto any [location tracking] vendor website now, the first thing you’ll see is their response to Covid-19 and what their offerings are. There is an opportunity there, as morbid as it sounds,” says Andrew Zignani, an analyst for ABI Research, which tracks wireless communication industries...
Citation
E-Week: How 6 GHz WiFi Will Transform Your Business Communications
E-Week (2020-05-1)
“Generally speaking, it’s a massive increase in capacity,” said Andrew Zignani, Wireless Connectivity Principal Analyst at ABI Research and author of “The Future of WiFi.” “It’s an additional 1.2 gigahertz in additional spectrum. This increases the number of channels, it has less inherent...
Citation
National Interest: New Versions of Wi-Fi Could Make the Internet Better for Everyone. Thank God.
National Interest (2020-05-1)
That's according to The Future of Wi-Fi, a new white paper released this week by ABI Research. The paper projected that the number of Wi-Fi-enabled devices will jump from 3.3 billion this year to 4.6 billion by 2024, thanks to Internet of Things devices and other newer technologies. The paper also...
Citation
Tech HQ: Wifi in need of an upgrade? Don’t worry, Wi-Fi 6E is on its way
Tech HQ (2020-04-29)
“The outbreak of COVID-19 is creating a need for flexibility that will fuel the future of connectivity,” noted Andrew Zignani, Principal Analyst at ABI Research,
Citation
Smart Cities World: Whitepaper explores Covid-19's impact on the future of connectivity
Smart Cities World (2020-04-27)
An 80 per cent surge in wi-fi upload traffic during the Covid-19 pandemic is re-affirming the need for wi-fi 6/6E and wi-fi mesh adoption, states ABI Research.
Citation
The Register: Work from home surge may work in Wi-Fi 6's favour, reckons analyst house
The Register (2020-04-23)
And this increased demand is hampered by the proliferation of outdated Wi-Fi equipment, such as those that can only access the 802.11a/b/g/n standards. These older standards are particularly less capable at handling crowded networks than, say, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax, aka AX Wi-Fi). And with members of...
Citation
Computer Weekly: Coronavirus: Surge in Wi-Fi upload traffic shows need for advanced Wi-Fi adoption
Computer Weekly (2020-04-23)
on will need to be provided on how to optimise and get the best out of home Wi-Fi networks,” said ABI Research principal analyst Andrew Zignani, explaining what could be incumbent on firms. “Employees will need equipment that can support robust, efficient and low-latency Wi-Fi standards, while...
Citation
BTR: Demand spikes suggest need for faster WiFi
Broadband Technology Report (2020-04-23)
According to ABI Research, COVID-19's impact on WiFi infrastructure indicates that existing infrastructure is inadequate. Wireless networks are now facing higher demand with more traffic, and users are finding their existing home WiFi networks, and the wider broadband infrastructure, inadequate or...
Citation
Electronics 360: Audio and Video Smart home device shipments to push wireless connectivity in the next 5 years
Electronics 360 (2020-01-16)
Internet of things (IoT) devices, specifically those designed for the smart home, are forecasted to push device connectivity shipments to new heights in the coming years, according to a new report from ABI Research. Smart home devices are set to account for more than 13% of Bluetooth device...
Citation
Electronics 360: Smart home device shipments to push wireless connectivity in the next 5 years
Electronics 360 (2020-01-15)
Internet of things (IoT) devices, specifically those designed for the smart home, are forecasted to push device connectivity shipments to new heights in the coming years, according to a new report from ABI Research. Smart home devices are set to account for more than 13% of Bluetooth device...
Citation
RFID Journal: UWB in iOS 13 Could Prompt Widespread Growth
RFID Journal (2019-10-21)
In February of this year, the IEEE 802.15.4z standard was announced to make mobile transactions interoperable and secure, further propelling UWB developments. The standard has not yet been released, but is in its final stages prior to that release. Apple is an early member of the UWB 802.15.4z Task...
Citation
TechRepublic: IoT will dominate Bluetooth market in 2024
TechRepublic (2019-09-13)
"Bluetooth will continue to grow in other areas, such as speakers, headsets, mobile, and PC accessories, and both technologies will continue to push into other consumer electronics devices such as connected toys and home entertainment. However, IoT is beginning to take an increasingly significant...
Citation
Robotics & Automation News: SLAM software paving the way for new generation autonomous mobile robots
Robotics & Automation News (2019-08-28)
According to report by global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research, the installed base of SLAM-enabled commercial and industrial robots will exceed 15 million by 2030. Andrew Zignani, principal analyst for location technologies at ABI Research, says: “In these first years of the Industry 4.0, few...
Citation
The Manufacturer: How is SLAM software powering the next-generation of autonomous industrial robots?
The Manufacturer (2019-08-28)
Unlocking future gains is likely to come from more intelligent and easily reprogrammable robots such as AMRs, which are predicted by ABI Research to comprise 80% of all commercial robot shipments by 2027. All AMRs must possess mapping and localisation capabilities to react to the fast-changing...
Citation
What is Wi-Fi 6 and why you're going to want it
ZDNet (2019-05-20)
Put it all together and you want to start getting ready to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6. That said, don't be in too much of a hurry. Wait until the technology is fully baked. Sure, as ABI Research Senior Analyst Andrew Zignani noted "Wi-Fi 6 pre-standard chipsets are readily available from numerous vendors...
Citation
Raising the bar for Wi-Fi
The Straits Times (2018-10-8)
Mr Andrew Zignani, senior analyst at market research firm ABI Research, says 802.11ax's better performance in dense environments is why it will ...
Citation