Huawei confirms 12 million router shipments as Wi-Fi 6 era begins

Huawei shipped 12 million routers – an internal record – over the course of 2019, a top company official revealed at an online press conference. Zhi Hao, the head of consumer IoT at the Chinese conglomerate, said today that the bulk of that historic achievement was fueled by inexpensive offerings, i.e. devices in the ballpark of $30 and under. Huawei hit its latest milestone at the dawn of the Wi-Fi 6 era which it claims will help it solidify its industry-leading position, both in terms of consumer and B2B sales.

Router business booming for Huawei

The news of Huawei’s router business hitting unprecedented heights comes a month after the Shenzhen-based behemoth announced the world’s first Wi-Fi 6+ chip. Manufactured by its semiconductor arm HiSilicon, the Kirin W650 was unveiled with the promise of ushering in the new era of (non-mobile) wireless connectivity. The AI-infused technologies powering the Kirin W650 promise to deliver unprecedented performance in dense environments, lessening network loads and improving data rates across the board, largely thanks to a proprietary solution for dynamic narrow bandwidth management.

By delivering such a seminal wireless module, Huawei’s hoping to maintain its strong trajectory in the segment for the foreseeable future. Today’s announcement also illustrates how China’s tech titan continues to resist U.S. efforts aimed at curbing its rapid overseas growth. Though the Trump administration blocked numerous key suppliers of Huawei late last year, aggressive investments and refocusing on Europe allowed the company to continue growing its international business.

As far as routers are concerned, Huawei’s most impressive 2019 inroads happened in the e-commerce space. The company’s online sales were up 139% annually over the said period and show no signs of stopping, Zhi claimed earlier today. And while Wi-Fi 6+ solutions aren’t expected to become the largest product category in the segment for at least several more years, it would appear Huawei’s perfectly positioned to benefit from them once that happens.