RF Modules Take Over Smartphone Market

June 10, 2016

Smartphone growth falls to 9% but Front End Module Grows 17%

Mobile Experts has released a market study, titled RF Front Ends for Mobile Devices 2016, which provides a view of the RF devices that enable communications in mobile terminals, in particular, mobile handsets, tablets, PCs, and machine-to-machine modems.

“We can see the end-game for the smartphone market”, explained Joe Madden, principal analyst at Mobile Experts. “As the OEMs run out of new smartphone customers to tackle, we’re starting 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.

“We’ve 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 we 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. We have analyzed how these advanced filters will enable network benefits for the mobile operators and improved battery performance for the end user…and how they will change the competitive landscape for RF devices.”

Madden continued, “It’s becoming critical for each supplier to know about the adoption of integrated modules. We expect 73 percent growth for one type of module this year, while other modules will drop by 38 percent. It’s becoming very easy for an RF supplier to get a nasty surprise as the market changes directions.”

This 175-page report includes more than 160 charts and diagrams, in a written market study and a detailed Excel model. The five-year forecast includes shipment, ASP, revenue and market share information for an array of equipment.

www.mobile-experts.net