ABI Research

ABI Research finds that Mediatek has delivered the world’s smallest multimode transceiver. Coming just a week after Qualcomm announced its intentions to produce RF front ends for high tier LTE smartphones, Mediatek releases the world’s smallest RF transceiver which is also the world’s first 40 nm transceiver.

Broadcom has been ranked number one vendor in three recent competitive assessments released by ABI Research on wireless connectivity IC markets. One was for overall wireless connectivity ICs, another on Bluetooth ICs, and a final on Wi-Fi ICs.

The total market for open short-range wireless (SRW) technology based ICs, i.e., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, NFC, and GPS, is expected to reach almost 5 billion units in 2013 and grow to nearly 8 billion by 2018. This includes standalone wireless connectivity ICs, wireless connectivity combo ICs, and also platforms with integrated wireless connectivity.

Alcatel-Lucent has been ranked the number one end-to-end system vendor in the latest enterprise and consumer femtocell competitive assessment released by ABI Research. NEC and NSN claim second and third spots respectively as end-to-end system vendors.

Of all the available backhaul choices for LTE macrocells and small cells, by 2018, sub 6GHz OFDM NLOS technology will become the most popular for “last mile” backhaul. Fiber-based backhaul will be the second most popular choice, where it is available, followed by millimeter wave and the traditional LOS microwave links.

In 4Q-2012, the LTE subscription in Asia-Pacific has increased by 60.92 percent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), reaching 34.6 million. ABI Research expects that the LTE subscription market will continue to grow rapidly in 2013 to reach 72.1 million. “The operators in South Korea have aggressively promoted LTE since launch.

ABI Research forecasts 8.6 billion smart cards will ship in 2013; a combined number spanning all smart card markets. Of total shipments, 16 percent are forecasted to use a contactless interface, rising to 30 percent in 2018. Government ID, transportation and ticketing, and payment cards continue strong double-digit growth in contactless adoption.

Whether the Apple smart watch rumor is true or not, the GPS fitness watch market is set to reach $1.07 billion in 2013, according to ABI Research’s latest quarterly “GPS & GNSS” Market Data which forecasts fitness watches split by price tier.

Based on 2012 shipment data, where cellular module revenues grew 21 percent YoY, ABI Research expects to see a further increase in shipments, reaching nearly 100 million units by 2015.

Whether for entertainment, convenience, or enhancing productivity, media tablets continue to take the market by storm. According to market intelligence firm ABI Research, an estimated 145 million tablet devices will ship worldwide in 2013. A combination of new market entrants, more affordable choices for consumers, and increased adoption by business audiences will support the growth.