The Strategy Analytics RF & Wireless Component market research service predicts that the market for power amplifiers (PA) in cellphones and related mobile devices will grow to $2.8 B over the next five years, in the report, "Cellular PA Forecast 2009 to 2014."
Demand for cellular PAs declined in the first half of '09 with a slowdown in handset shipments; however, cellular will continue to spread beyond conventional handsets into notebook and netbook computers, and machine-to-machine systems such as automatic meter readers. At the same time, the number of bands used by the typical cellular terminal will continue to increase. Together, these trends promise continued growth in shipments of cellular terminals and PAs, even as the conventional cellphone market matures and growth slows.
"We estimate that the PA market will reach almost four billion units per year in 2014, even as dual-mode PAs begin to reduce the power amplifier count per cellular terminal," said Chris Taylor, Director of the RF & Wireless Components market research service.
Asif Anwar, Director of the Gallium Arsenide and Compound Semiconductor market research service, added, "Shipments of CMOS PAs will increase over the next five years, but GaAs-based PA modules will continue to dominate the market as cellular moves beyond W-CDMA to LTE."