The standard is being developed to achieve more than 1G bps (bit per second) of network throughput by expanding on the broad frequency bands and multiple-antenna capabilities of 802.11n, which now represents a majority of Wi-Fi shipments, according to In-Stat analyst Frank Dickson. The top theoretical speed for 11n is about 600M bps, with a high-end configuration, but it typically delivers about 150M bps.

In-Stat estimates that nearly 350 million routers, client devices and attached modems with 11ac will ship annually by 2015, following a sharp curve up from about 1 million units in 2012, probably the first year when 11ac products will be sold, Dickson said.

But even in 2015, shipments of 11n will outnumber sales of the new technology. Dickson forecasted that 1.5 billion products equipped with 11n will be sold that year, more than double the estimated 700 million in 2011. The 802.11ac standard will be backward compatible with 11n, and products are likely to support both.

One possible limiting factor for 802.11ac is that not many users need the additional speed, Dickson said. For example, 802.11ac might be good for sharing video between devices within a home, but most consumers' need for bandwidth is limited by the speed of their broadband Internet connection, often just a few megabits per second. However, the higher capacity of 11ac could allow more users in an office or a public place to achieve high speeds, and might help companies get by with fewer access points, according to In-Stat analyst Alan Nogee.

"Many times, the speed of [11]ac will exceed the speed of broadband coming into the home," Dickson said. "In an enterprise location, you may see a whole lot more need."