According to a report released by Mobile Experts LLC, Analysts reported that they can see the end-game for the smartphone market. As the OEMs run out of new smartphone customers to tackle, they've started to forecast how the RF module market will settle into a slow-growth mode. Competition will get vicious as growth slows down - especially in the Complete Front End (CFE) market, where five competitors will be fighting over the top three customers.
They have outlined multiple disruptive technologies in smartphone radio design, including the key aspects of Envelope Tracking, Tuning, Carrier Aggregation, MIMO, and other technologies in the RF front end. In particular, this year they have looked at filter technology as a key strategic point. Quadplexers, Hexaplexers, Extractors, and other multiplexer modules have become the 'strategic high ground' of the RF market. They have analyzed how these advanced filters will enable network benefits for the mobile operators and improved battery performance for the end use and how they will change the competitive landscape for RF devices.
It's becoming critical for each supplier to know about the adoption of integrated modules. They expect 73% growth for one type of module this year, while other modules will drop by 38%. It's becoming very easy for an RF supplier to get a nasty surprise as the market changes directions.
Mobile Experts LLC has released a market study, titled RF Front Ends for Mobile Devices 2016. This comprehensive study provides a detailed view of the radio frequency devices that enable communications in mobile terminals. This report covers mobile handsets, tablets, PCs, and machine-to-machine modems.
This 175-page report includes more than 160 charts and diagrams, in a written market study and a detailed Excel model. This five-year forecast includes shipment, ASP, revenue, and market share information for:
- Antennas
- Amplifiers
- Filters, Duplexers, Quadplexers, Hexaplexers
- Switches
- Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs)
- Front End Modules or FEMs (ASMs, TxMs, PADs, Switched Duplexer Banks, Diversity Filter Banks, and others)
- Complete Front Ends (including PA, Filter, and Switch)
- Antenna Tuners and Impedance Match Tuners
- Multimode, Multiband Power Amplifiers (MMPAs)
- Envelope Tracking Power Supplies
- CMOS PAs
- Terminals including handsets, tablets, PCs, and IoT/M2M
- Carrier Aggregation up to 5-way combinations
- 2x2, 4x4, and 8x8 MIMO for uplink and downlink
