Communications is the largest application market for analog

23 August 2006 News

Databeans, a semiconductor market intelligence supplier, has just released its annual report on RF and analog chips used in wireless and wired markets. According to the report, the communications market is probably the single most important area of opportunity for the semiconductor industry; and communications is the largest application market for analog components.

There was a time when a statement similar to this was made in reference to the computer market, and while that market is still the largest for semiconductors, communications has been outperforming the rest of the field, in terms of revenue growth and it will continue to accelerate, according to the research group.

In the report, Databeans comments on several market trends that are driving the market, including an increasing bill of materials value for wireless mobile phones. Mobile phones constitute the largest application market for communications analog. It estimates that the $US content of silicon in phones dropped from around $45 down to $31 in the past five years, but is now on the advance again - which is good news for suppliers.

With mobile phone shipments at an all-time high this year, at just fewer than 1 billion units, Databeans expects the semiconductor market for communications to reach $65 bn this year, and reach over $112 bn by 2011. Silicon value in mobile devices is expected to increase from $32 to $42 over the same period.

Further reading:

SACEEC celebrates standout industrial innovation on the KITE 2025 show floor
News
Exhibitor innovation took the spotlight at the KITE 2025 as the South African Capital Equipment Export Council announced the winners of its prestigious New Product & Innovation Awards.

Read more...

---

SA team for International Olympiad in Informatics
News
The Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa has named the team that will represent South Africa at this year’s International Olympiad in Informatics.

Read more...

---

Anritsu and Bluetest to support OTA measurement
News
Anritsu Company and Sweden-based Bluetest AB have jointly developed an Over-The-Air measurement solution to evaluate the performance of 5G IoT devices compliant with the RedCap specification.

Read more...

---

The current sentiment of the global electronics manufacturing supply chain
News
In its latest report, the Global Electronics Association provides an analysis of the current sentiment and conditions in the global electronics manufacturing supply chain as of June 2025.

Read more...

---

Global semiconductor sales increase in May
News
The Semiconductor Industry Association recently announced global semiconductor sales were $59,0 billion during the month of May 2025, an increase of 19,8%.

Read more...

---

New president for Avnet EMEA
News
Avnet has announced that Avnet Silica’s president, Gilles Beltran, will step into the role of president of Avnet EMEA.

Read more...

---

DARPA sets new record for wireless power beaming
News
In tests performed in New Mexico, the Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay program team recorded over 800 W of power delivered for about 30 seconds with a laser beam crossing 8,6 kilometres.

Read more...

---

Nordic Semiconductor acquires Memfault
RF Design News
With this acquisition, Nordic has launched its first complete chip-to-cloud platform for lifecycle management of connected products.

Read more...

---

Trina storage demonstrates high efficiency and long-term reliability
News
Independent testing confirms 95,2% DC efficiency and 98% capacity retention after one year of operation.

Read more...

---

From the editor's desk: AI – a double-edged sword
Technews Publishing News
As with any powerful tool, AI presents challenges, some of which, if not carefully managed, threaten to undo the potential that it can offer.

Read more...

---