The US$21 billion RFFE industry, initially driven by mobile and infrastructure, is now evolving to embrace growth in the automotive market. Each segment within the industry presents unique dynamics and growth opportunities. After a difficult 2022, the smartphone market is showing signs of recovery, with expected year-over-year growth of 4 percent, projected to reach 1.2 billion units by 2024. The mobile RFFE market is predicted to hit US$18 billion by the end of 2024, though it may face stagnation due to market saturation and pricing pressures.
According to Cyril Buey, Ph.D., technology and market analyst, Radio Frequency at Yole Group, “In the automotive industry, connectivity plays a vital role in enabling software-defined vehicles, which in turn fuels demand for automotive RF devices. This market is expected to expand, with the 2027 launch of RedCap bringing 5G to mid-range vehicles and the increasing need for connected vehicle technology.”
In parallel, despite a recent deceleration, the telecom infrastructure market is projected to recover by 2026, with the RFFE market expected to reach US$4 billion by 2029, spurred by the adoption of massive MIMO (mMIMO) technology and radio unit enhancements. Additionally, the small cell market, bolstered by private networks, has contributed for approximately US$300 million in RFFE content in 2023.
In this regard, Yole Group releases its new report: "RF for 4G/5G Industry 2024," which analyzes the latest and emerging RFFE technologies for 4G and 5G while also assessing the semiconductor advancements driving performance. It provides a comprehensive market overview, examining demand and growth forecasts across verticals like smartphones, telecom infrastructure and automotive. Additionally, the report evaluates market dynamics, competitive landscape and key technological trends such as carrier aggregation and mMIMO, offering insights into region-specific factors and opportunities for RFFE development. This report is part of the significant collection of RF analyses developed by the market research & strategy consulting company for a while.
The RFFE ecosystem is a vital and evolving part of the telecommunications industry, providing the essential devices and technologies for various wireless communication systems. The supply chain spans a broad range of devices and technologies and is following the growing trend of miniaturization and integration into multifunctional modules to reduce space and costs in mobile and infrastructure systems. The RF component market for 4G/5G is highly fragmented, resulting in a complex technological landscape made more intricate by the number of players involved. The industry’s latest technological shift, spurred by 5G, has begun to consolidate the fragmented market around a few major players.
Indeed, the ecosystem is led by a small number of key companies, including Qualcomm, Broadcom, Skyworks, Qorvo, Murata and NXP, alongside newer companies like Maxscend, Vanchip and Smarter Micro, which recently emerged from the dynamic Chinese market. These eight companies account for over 80 percent of the RFFE devices targeting the 4G/5G economy, with a total value of $16 billion.
In this overall RF industry, the automotive segment is primarily dominated by Qualcomm. This company uses its end-to-end approach to provide complete RF bundles, from modem to RFFE, to its clients. Qualcomm also holds a significant share in the fixed wireless access CPE market. Meanwhile, Qorvo and Skyworks are expanding into the infrastructure and automotive markets. These emerging sectors are particularly profitable, although the volume of end systems remains relatively small.