5G era is approaching, which has led to terminal manufacturers launching 5G mobile phone at the pace. 5G smart mobile phone faces unprecedentedly complex technical difficulties, including mobile phone RF front-end architecture, design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, and raw materials, etc., all need to be optimized and improved.
In 2019, the vision and demand of 5G commercial first year
5G (fifth generation mobile telephone mobile communication standard) is to cope with the explosive growth of mobile data traffic, massive device connections, and emerging various new businesses and application scenarios in the future. At the same time, it is deeply integrated with various industries to meet the diversified needs of terminal interconnection in vertical industries, realize the true "Internet of Everything", and build the cornerstone of the digital transformation of social and economics.
5G will penetrate into various scenarios (cloud AR/VR, vehicle networking, intelligent manufacturing, smart energy, wireless medical care, wireless home entertainment, networked drones, social networks, personal AI assistance, smart cities, holographic projection), and the rich business returns have given the industry unprecedented expectations for 5G. In 2018, many countries announced that 2019 will be the time for 5G trial commercial use. At CES 2019, Intel released 5G SoC processors Snow Ridge, Samsung and Motorola showcased the first 5G mobile phone , Qualcomm announced that the remaining 5G terminal devices will be launched in 2019; on January 16, 2019, Guangdong Unicom and ZTE jointly tested the field in Shenzhen 5G scale, connected to the world's first 5G mobile phone field call based on the latest 3GPP protocol version; on June 6, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that it officially issued 5G commercial licenses to China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Radio and Television. This also means that my country has officially entered the first year of 5G commercial use. Although 5G mobile devices today are very expensive for many people, according to the previous development rules of 3G and 4G, it is not far from a long time to replace 4G. This also means that after this, the smart mobile phone will gradually replace the computer and become the most indispensable electronic device in people's daily life.
RF front-end adopts "integrated module" or "discrete devices"?
In mobile communication, with the surge in the number of users and technology types, the radio spectrum has become a scarce resource. Smart mobile faces unprecedentedly complex requirements, such as supporting multi-bands that support regional and global roaming; supports multiple cellular modes, including 2G/3G/4G/5G, WiFi, Bluetooth, near-field communication (NFC), global positioning system (GPS); uses multiple inputs and multiple outputs (MIMO) to improve communication quality, improve data rates and expand effective range; uses smart antenna technology (such as beamforming or diversity) to enhance the performance of a single data signal; carrier aggregation (CA) supports wider bandwidth and improve bandwidth experience. Since the RF front-end is the functional area between the mobile phone RF transceiver and the antenna, it mainly consists of power amplifier (PA), low noise amplifier (LNA), switch, duplexer , filter and other passive devices, therefore, these requirements of 5G ( frequency band from low frequency to high frequency) bring huge challenges to the mobile phone RF front-end architecture, design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, and raw materials.
In terms of RF front-end and connection architecture, major global smart mobile manufacturers have set their mark by adopting "integrated modules" or "discrete devices". Foreign mobile manufacturers such as Samsung, Apple (Appple), Sony (Sony), LeG (LG), etc. all tend to use complex integrated modules; while Chinese mobile manufacturers such as Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo (OPPO) and Vivo (vivo) use more discrete devices because this can reduce the cost of RF bill of materials (BOM) as much as possible, so that they can also gain a sales price advantage in the highly competitive mobile market.
Comparing Huawei P20 Pro and Samsung S10, we can see the mobile phone RF front-end strategy of the two companies. The RF circuit board of Huawei P20 Pro is composed of 45 discrete components and 4 integrated modules (including 25 components), while the Samsung S10 is composed of 17 discrete components and 8 integrated modules (including 71 components). Therefore, in the end, the RF BOM of Samsung S10 is twice that of Huawei P20 Pro, but there is no significant difference in the downlink speed performance of these two phones.In addition, both mobile phones support multiple frequency bands and use similar technologies such as carrier aggregation (CA) and 4×4MIMO. While
5G empowers smart mobile phone , it undoubtedly makes the RF front-end more complicated. In fact, the popularity of 5G in smart mobile phone not only depends on whether the network is available and whether the application case is successful, but also on the economic affordability of consumers. As the price pressure on the RF front-end increases, how to achieve 5G functions at a lower cost has become a topic of concern to the industry. Therefore, discrete components will still maintain a certain market share. French market research agency Yole predicts that from 2018 to 2025, the market size of discrete components will remain at %.
5G promotes the growth of the RF front-end market
2018-2019, consumers' demand for smart mobile phone weakened, resulting in a decline in the market. Against this background, competition among mobile phone manufacturers has intensified, thus accelerating the application process of new technologies such as 5G, full screen, and 3D cameras. In the LTE era, the growth of the RF front-end market comes from carrier aggregation and multi-input multiple output (MIMO) technology. 5G needs to increase frequency bands to achieve dual connections, the downlink transitions to 4×4MIMO, and the uplink develops to 2×2MIMO, which will promote the growth of the RF front-end market. Therefore, the RF front-end market size in 2018 was US$15 billion, and is expected to reach US$25.8 billion in 2025, with an annual compound growth rate of 8% from 2018 to 2025. Among them, the annual compound growth rate of discrete devices is slightly higher than the compound annual growth rate of integrated modules. In terms of discrete devices, antenna tuners have the fastest growing market—a CAGR of up to 13%, due to the increasing demand for antennas and antenna tuners in higher frequency bands and 4×4MIMO.
Due to the mandatory requirements of 4×4MIMO by 5G (3.5GHz and above), the market growth of low noise amplifiers (LNAs) has been positively affected, whether it is discrete devices or integrated modules. Regarding 5G millimeter wave, the packaged antenna (AiP) module will generate revenue in 2019, and the United States is its first target market. Yole predicts that the AiP market size will reach US$1.3 billion in 2025.
In order to achieve the integration of LNA and switches, the wafer substrate material selected by the RF front-end industry is shifting to 12-inch RF SOI, thus limiting the growth opportunities of silicon germanium. In terms of filters, traditional surface acoustic (SAW) filter technology will remain stable, while thin-film surface acoustic filters, bulk acoustic waves (BAW) filters, thin-film bulk acoustic waves (FBAR) filters, integrated passive devices (IPD) and multi-layer cell (MLC) technologies will gain growth opportunities.
The United States and Japan dominate the smart mobile RF front-end field
Smart mobile RF front-end field all come from the United States and Japan, including Broadcom, Skyworks, Qorvo, Qualcomm and Murata, accounting for a total of 81% of the market share. At present, Murata's market share is ahead of Sijiaxun and Broadcom; Qualcomm is already strong enough in the LNA field, and by integrating TDK EPCOS's filter business, it is very likely to catch up with Qorvo. Other RF front-end manufacturers, such as Infineon, Sony, Taiyo Yuden, NXP and VIA (Wisol), also have a place. These second-tier companies have the ability to manufacture LNA, switches, tuners and filters, becoming other supplier options for smart mobile phone manufacturers.
Overall, Chinese RF front-end manufacturers are in a weak position, and they lag behind foreign manufacturers in all aspects such as technical strength and mass production scale. Since the mid-to-high-end filters used in the global smart mobile market have been divided up by the top five American and Japanese manufacturers, and the domestic filter industry started late, technological breakthroughs in mid-to-high-end filters are becoming the biggest challenge for the localization of RF front-end.
Finally, it is worth noting that US and Japanese filter manufacturers have made comprehensive patent layouts earlier, mainly including China, the United States, Japan and Europe. Japanese manufacturers such as Murata and Sunsuodi are leading in SAW patent applications, while American manufacturers such as Qorvo, Qualcomm and Broadcom are leading in BAW patents. This brings greater difficulties and challenges to Chinese filter manufacturers. If you are not careful, you will be subject to patent litigation by international giants.
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In addition, both mobile phones support multiple frequency bands and use similar technologies such as carrier aggregation (CA) and 4×4MIMO. While5G empowers smart mobile phone , it undoubtedly makes the RF front-end more complicated. In fact, the popularity of 5G in smart mobile phone not only depends on whether the network is available and whether the application case is successful, but also on the economic affordability of consumers. As the price pressure on the RF front-end increases, how to achieve 5G functions at a lower cost has become a topic of concern to the industry. Therefore, discrete components will still maintain a certain market share. French market research agency Yole predicts that from 2018 to 2025, the market size of discrete components will remain at %.
5G promotes the growth of the RF front-end market
2018-2019, consumers' demand for smart mobile phone weakened, resulting in a decline in the market. Against this background, competition among mobile phone manufacturers has intensified, thus accelerating the application process of new technologies such as 5G, full screen, and 3D cameras. In the LTE era, the growth of the RF front-end market comes from carrier aggregation and multi-input multiple output (MIMO) technology. 5G needs to increase frequency bands to achieve dual connections, the downlink transitions to 4×4MIMO, and the uplink develops to 2×2MIMO, which will promote the growth of the RF front-end market. Therefore, the RF front-end market size in 2018 was US$15 billion, and is expected to reach US$25.8 billion in 2025, with an annual compound growth rate of 8% from 2018 to 2025. Among them, the annual compound growth rate of discrete devices is slightly higher than the compound annual growth rate of integrated modules. In terms of discrete devices, antenna tuners have the fastest growing market—a CAGR of up to 13%, due to the increasing demand for antennas and antenna tuners in higher frequency bands and 4×4MIMO.
Due to the mandatory requirements of 4×4MIMO by 5G (3.5GHz and above), the market growth of low noise amplifiers (LNAs) has been positively affected, whether it is discrete devices or integrated modules. Regarding 5G millimeter wave, the packaged antenna (AiP) module will generate revenue in 2019, and the United States is its first target market. Yole predicts that the AiP market size will reach US$1.3 billion in 2025.
In order to achieve the integration of LNA and switches, the wafer substrate material selected by the RF front-end industry is shifting to 12-inch RF SOI, thus limiting the growth opportunities of silicon germanium. In terms of filters, traditional surface acoustic (SAW) filter technology will remain stable, while thin-film surface acoustic filters, bulk acoustic waves (BAW) filters, thin-film bulk acoustic waves (FBAR) filters, integrated passive devices (IPD) and multi-layer cell (MLC) technologies will gain growth opportunities.
The United States and Japan dominate the smart mobile RF front-end field
Smart mobile RF front-end field all come from the United States and Japan, including Broadcom, Skyworks, Qorvo, Qualcomm and Murata, accounting for a total of 81% of the market share. At present, Murata's market share is ahead of Sijiaxun and Broadcom; Qualcomm is already strong enough in the LNA field, and by integrating TDK EPCOS's filter business, it is very likely to catch up with Qorvo. Other RF front-end manufacturers, such as Infineon, Sony, Taiyo Yuden, NXP and VIA (Wisol), also have a place. These second-tier companies have the ability to manufacture LNA, switches, tuners and filters, becoming other supplier options for smart mobile phone manufacturers.
Overall, Chinese RF front-end manufacturers are in a weak position, and they lag behind foreign manufacturers in all aspects such as technical strength and mass production scale. Since the mid-to-high-end filters used in the global smart mobile market have been divided up by the top five American and Japanese manufacturers, and the domestic filter industry started late, technological breakthroughs in mid-to-high-end filters are becoming the biggest challenge for the localization of RF front-end.
Finally, it is worth noting that US and Japanese filter manufacturers have made comprehensive patent layouts earlier, mainly including China, the United States, Japan and Europe. Japanese manufacturers such as Murata and Sunsuodi are leading in SAW patent applications, while American manufacturers such as Qorvo, Qualcomm and Broadcom are leading in BAW patents. This brings greater difficulties and challenges to Chinese filter manufacturers. If you are not careful, you will be subject to patent litigation by international giants.
Trump confirms that the United States is upgrading its nuclear weapons! Detailed live videos are all on "China.com" Douyin (787874450)
