A new report from Strategy Analytics forecasts that 270 million 5G user devices and 1.7 million 5G base station sectors will ship in 2022. The report, 5G Deployments and What They Mean for the Compound Semiconductor Industry delves into 5G architectures, trends and developments that will influence the market share and growth trajectory of different technologies in the compound semiconductor industry. Topics addressed include massive MIMO and beamforming architectures.

Eric Higham, director of the advanced semiconductor applications (ASA) segment at Strategy Analytics, said, “With smartphone growth slowing, the compound semiconductor market needs a new growth engine. With its ambitious vision and stringent performance goals, 5G could be that new driver, but there are many challenges and trade-offs that will ultimately determine the technology winners and losers.”

Christopher Taylor, director of the RF and wireless components (RFWC) service, said, “5G networks include a mix of millimeter wave and sub-6 GHz frequencies, coupled with fixed and mobile applications. All these cases provide opportunities for silicon and compound semiconductor technologies in user equipment and base stations.”