Microwave Journal
www.microwavejournal.com/articles/11950-chinese-gsm-rollouts-and-global-migration-to-lte-will-keep-rf-power-amplifier-and-device-markets-buoyant

Chinese GSM Rollouts and Global Migration to LTE will Keep RF Power Amplifier and Device Markets Buoyant

October 26, 2011

Accelerated Chinese wireless infrastructure rollouts and the worldwide demand for wireless data have benefited the base station RF power amplifier and RF power device markets, according to ABI Research.

The Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, presently accounts for more than 75 percent of the RF power semiconductor devices sold into the mobile wireless infrastructure segment.

“Recent Chinese multi-carrier GSM deployments have been massive and have buoyed RF power vendors tremendously,” says Lance Wilson, Research Director, mobile networks.

The demand is expected to strengthen the market until at least 2012 and Chinese GSM deployment activity will only begin to slow in 2013.

A happy coincidence for equipment vendors, 2012 is the expected time-frame for LTE deployments in developed countries to gather a head of steam.

“Although LTE has not yet significantly impacted RF power amplifier and device sales, it will bolster RF power sales in the wireless infrastructure space from about 2011 onward,” says Aditya Kaul, Practice Director, mobile networks.

The growing demand for wireless data is also driving the overall market upwards for both RF power amplifiers and RF power devices.

ABI Research’s new report, “RF Power Amplifiers,” examines evolving design parameters and materials, price versus performance, and the interdependent relationship of RF power semiconductors to RF power amplifiers. Quantitative forecasts are presented through 2016 for both segments.