New Baseband Solutions Fuel Mobile Broadband Devices
Broadband connectivity is a critical factor for an increasing number of mobile devices to provide network and Internet connectivity. As a result, the integration of baseband technology into mobile platforms like handset, computing devices, and mobile CE devices will continue to increase. At the same time, existing 3G networks are being stressed by data traffic that is increasing at exponential levels increasing the need to transition to 4G networks.
This report examines technical and market dynamics surrounding the integration of baseband modems in mobile devices.
The Cellular Broadband 3G Modem Market: Multi-Mode and Hotspots Add Spice to Life
This report looks at the current state of the market for cellular modems, not including modems used in mobile handsets. Topics covered are as follows:
-Survey results around who uses cellular modems, how they use them, and attitudes toward the service. -Forecast for both external and embedded modems, including shipments, ASPs, and revenues. -Profiles of leading external and embedded cellular modem vendors including C-motech, Huawei, Novatel Wireless, Option Wireless Technology, Sierra Wireless, Ericsson, Icera, Qualcomm, and ST-Ericsson.
The challenges in LTE silicon are many, and many of the complications in LTE deployment are revealed in the benefits. As LTE platforms are expected to support many different airlinks, so too will the end-use devices. Mobile phones will be expected to seamlessly transition from 3G networks to the LTE platform and vice-versa.
This report starts with an overview of LTE chipset architecture and the LTE ecosystem. The report then reviews the LTE chipset vendors including Altair Semiconductor, BitWave Semiconductor, ComSys Mobile, Qualcomm, and Samsung. Then, by defining the protocols, understanding the LTE ecosystem, and reviewing what we know about the LTE chipset manufacturers at this moment, we can anticipate which devices will enter the market. The last section of the report reviews the integration of LTE chipsets into mobile handsets.
The report includes market estimates and forecasts of LTE USB dongles and external clients, total portable devices, handset regional shipments, silicon BOM, and silicon revenue. Also included are the estimates for LTE MAC software and IP royalties.
In the last three years, the mobile phone has transitioned from being a 24/7 communication device to an always-connected mini-computer that also just happens to fit in your pocket. This recent success of smartphones in general and wireless broadband specifically has spurred operators to push ahead with their 4G plans, now thought of as required to meet increasing phone demand.
This Phone Component Forecast is an Excel spreadsheet containing 5-year forecasts (2009–2014) for handsets, handset revenues, and handset semiconductor revenue by region and technology type (TD-SCDMA, LTE, WCDMA, CDMA, and GSM). Also included are handset semiconductor revenue by function, and forecasts for Wi-Fi dual-mode phones, analog TV tuners in phones, Bluetooth phones, cameras in phones, GPS phones, accelerometers in phones, phones with pico projectors, and touchscreen phones.
The WiMAX chipset market continues to gain steady momentum. Mobile WiMAX has all but displaced fixed WiMAX in new deployment. Actual WiMAX networks, planned networks, and networks in development increase monthly. New devices drive the market as USB dongles and mobile PCs with embedded are available today, with WiMAX-enabled cellular handsets just around the corner.
WiMAX chipset technology has already moved beyond multiple chips, each with one specific function, i.e., a baseband processor chip and a separate RFIC, to a market where integrated single-chip solutions and modules are the vendor and manufacturer preference. A small group of semiconductor manufacturers have emerged as the WiMAX chipset leaders, changing the market landscape with innovative single-chip solutions.
WiMAX Chipsets: "e" Is the New Black looks at the WiMAX chipset market and provides: -An overview of the state of the WiMAX market including deployments, regional updates, frequencies and spectrums, and emerging WiMAX applications -WiMAX standards and technology update -WiMAX chipset landscape -WiMAX chipset architecture -Key WiMAX IC vendor landscape -WiMAX chipset unit shipments, revenue, and ASPs
Integration Still Has Its Challenges Mobile electronics is the fastest growing segment of the electronics industry and represents a significant opportunity for both growth and innovation in the semiconductor industry. This report examines the multimedia acceleration (graphics, video, and audio) for Internet-connected devices, including smartphones, MIDs/UMPCs, netbooks, and notebook PCs.
Mobile Graphics & Multimedia Review examines the TAM, the integration trends, trends in third-party IP, standards impacting multimedia accelerations, and how media-rich content Internet access, increased communication bandwidth, and new technologies drive both innovation in multimedia acceleration and the mobile device market. This report is one in a series of reports that examines the three critical semiconductor building blocks of mobile devices: processing, graphics/multimedia, and baseband. This report also complements other reports in the In-Stat Mobile Technologies service.
The Battle for the Next Generation Consumer Devices
Mobile electronics is the fastest growing segment of the electronics industry and represents a significant opportunity for both growth and innovation in the semiconductor industry. This report examines the opportunity and challenges for merchant market mobile processors in mobile electronics.
This report examines the TAM, battle between architectures, integration trends, and semiconductor vendors addressing targeting mobile devices with merchant market processors. This report is one in a series of reports that examines the three critical semiconductor building blocks of mobile devices – processing, graphics/multimedia, and baseband. This report also complements other reports in the In-Stat Mobile Technologies service.
The report includes:
- TAM for merchant market mobile processors by application - The estimated value of the processing, graphics/multimedia, and baseband functionality in mobile devices using merchant market mobile processors - Market forecasts by applications and processor architecture - The integration trends by application and architecture for: -Multiple processor cores -Graphics and multimedia accelerators -I/O -Baseband connectivity - Vendor profiles
Economy, Convergence and Industry Dynamics and the Impact on Silicon Architectures
Although the current economic environment will surely drive industry change, the shifting market dynamics and technical innovation will have an equal impact. The resulting challenges and opportunities will alter the direction of semiconductor technology and transform the organization of the industry. This presentation examines how the economy, the market, and silicon innovation will change the semiconductor industry. Although some of the information may not be revolutionary, the presentation seeks to answer why events, such as the financial meltdown, have occurred and what is likely to occur to give a complete picture of the internal and external forces affecting the future of the semiconductor industry.
Global Wi-Fi Chipset Forecast and Analysis: 2007 to 2013
The research covers the worldwide market for Wi-Fi chipsets. It includes:
Forecasts of WLAN chipset units and revenue by market segment and by technology
Segmentation for mobile PCs, including notebook PCs, netbooks, ultra mobile PCs (UMPCs), and mobile Internet devices (MIDs)
Segmentation for portable CE, including handheld games, digital still/video cameras, IP network cameras, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and personal media players (PMPs)
Segmentation for mobile handsets
Segmentation for networking equipment, including routers, gateways, and access points (APs)
Segmentation for stationary CE, including gaming consoles, Blu-ray players/recorders, digital televisions (DTVs), media adapter/player/receivers, networked attached storage, personal video recorders (PVRs), printers and multi-function peripherals (MFPs), personal video recorders (PVRs), and set-top boxes (STBs)
Segmentation by technology, including 802.11g, 802.11a/g, Draft n/802.11n
Analysis of market segments, including drivers and barriers.
Integration is the next key for both GPS providers and device makers. With GPS location technology now considered mature, this report finds that adjacent mobile device markets offer a potential of 802M GPS-enabled units in 2013.
Included in this report are:
Global TAM and GPS attach rate forecasts for mobile CE and mobile computation (handsets, PMP, PND, hand-held gaming, digital cameras, notebooks, netbooks/mini-notes, MIDs, UMPCs)
Worldwide flash revenues will grow to $72 billion by 2012 representing a CAGR of 24%. The worldwide flash market is being driven primarily by NAND flash which is used in a range of consumer applications for data storage. This technology’s steeply declining prices have fostered its phenomenal growth.
This report provides a deep look into both NOR and NAND flash markets with a particular emphasis on NAND, the larger of the two. Both NAND and NOR forecasts and regional trends are supplemented by a history of NAND pricing and supplier process migrations, and a market-by-market analysis of each of NAND flash’s largest end applications.
With decreasing flash memory prices and the shift to mobile computing, SSDs are finally moving from the data center to the PC as many had predicted over a decade ago. This transition, however, will not happen overnight owing to a number of issues, including drive density limitations, cost per megabyte compared to HDDs, and performance. This report examines the rise of the SSD market and the challenges that remain ahead and which segments of the market will drive growth. Among the key findings are the following:
-The greatest growth will come from the high-performance and price sensitive segments of the market. -The most cost effective SSD solutions are currently around 16GB, but that will approach 256GB by 2013. -Enterprise SSDs will experience the highest CAGR of 155% through 2013. -The SSD market will approach 43 million units by 2013. -The greatest growth will come from the high-performance and price sensitive segments of the market. -The most cost effective SSD solutions are currently around 16GB, but that will approach 256GB by 2013. -Enterprise SSDs will experience the highest CAGR of 155% through 2013. -The SSD market will approach 43 million units by 2013.
Ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs) are a rapidly growing part of the mobile market, offering an even higher degree of mobility than full-sized laptops. All UMPCs currently on the market have embedded Wi-Fi. Of these, about one-quarter embed a wide-area wireless broadband modem. These are primarily one of the cellular 3G offerings but some also support WiMAX. Embedding a wide-area wireless modem into devices addresses the frustration many users have with the coverage of Wi-Fi. However, supporting the multiple cellular protocols is difficult and costly.
The newcomer, WiMAX, is making a difficult decision even more complex. In-Stat forecasts that significantly more UMPCs will embed cellular and WiMAX modems into the devices and projects the unit sales out to 2012. More wide-area communication will result in more sales for this class of device. This report examines the pros and cons for the different combinations of communications.
Mobile Software Development in 2008: Gold Rush or Hyperchoice?
The past year has seen two major Silicon Valley firms, Apple and Google, launch well-funded initiatives to attract mobile applications developers. There have been a great many downloads and the Apple App Store had over 3,000 applications in a matter of months. More importantly, these developments highlight the importance of the mobile application developers to the wireless industry.
Mobile application developers should resist the temptation to jump on any new platforms just because of its initial promise. This report offers data about the installed based of devices that supports each development system, as well as the number of applications available. It also looks at the number of applications that users downloaded, with special attention to iPhone users who have downloading patterns unlike other smartphone users.
The report also looks at the needs a cross-section of mobile application developers have cited as being important to attain their loyalty.
The report examines the impact of AMD's new “Smart Asset” manufacturing strategy that will involve the spin-off of the company’s manufacturing resources into a joint venture with an investment company representing the Emirate of Abu Dahbi.
The new strategy is the result of an underlying need to improve the company’s financial position and focus on its new strategy under CEO Dirk Meyer.
The move, however, is complicated because of a cross-licensing agreement with Intel, as well as the potential impacts on a broad number of other parties including AMD’s current process development partner, IBM, and AMD’s current foundry partners Chartered, TSMC, and UMC.
1. The move will improve AMD’s financial position and allow it to focus on developing more competitive products, but it does not eliminate the debt commitment. 2. Current AMD foundry partners are likely to lose business to the new foundry company from both AMD’s processor and graphics groups. 3. IBM will gain an additional manufacturing partner if it so chooses. 4. The move has no impact on Intel. 5. The move could pose long-term challenges to AMD if the company loses critical expertise in manufacturing process technology.
Unleashing the Mobile Internet: A UMD Microprocessor Perspective
Why is the ultra mobile device (UMD) segment so important? Because it is likely to be the next billion units of gold for semiconductor and consumer electronics vendors, while driving a new level of innovation through communication standards, Internet applications, and service and usage models.
This report examines one of the most critical issues in the UMD market: the battle between processor architectures, which are the hearts and brains of these new devices. The leading contenders in this battle include the x86 camp, led by Intel, and the ARM camp, led by companies like Freescale, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Samsung, and Texas Instruments.
The following information is included in the report: -Overview of the market and drivers for UMDs. -Company background, manufacturing strategies, product strategies, and current product details from each of the key x86 and ARM companies, including AMD, ARM, Freescale, Intel, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Samsung, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, and VIA. -Overview of the battle between the x86 and ARM architectures, including the current advantages and disadvantages of both. -In-Stat predictions on how the market is likely to evolve.
Taiwanese manufacturers have completely dominated the global desktop motherboard and PC CEM space. In 2007, Taiwanese motherboard makers shipped 98.5% of the worldwide desktop motherboard shipments. However, the industry is faced with a slow growth rate owing to the trend of replacing desktop PCs with notebooks and aggressive pricing by notebook PC makers.
Notebook PCs will remain the growth engine for PC CEMs. Notebook PC shipments by Taiwanese makers are likely to grow at a CAGR of 18.7% during 2007–2012.
This report delves into the desktop motherboard shipments and desktop and notebook PC shipments by Taiwanese manufacturers. It explores the emerging trends in the PC and motherboard industry. The report also explores the competitive landscape in the PC and motherboard industry, the production locations being chosen by Taiwanese firms, and the Chinese share of the market.
In late 2008 to early 2009, notebook PC unit shipments will surpass those of desktop PCs for the first time in history, Does this mean that the desktop market is now in decline? And, are notebook PCs and other mobile form factors beginning a rapid ascension to dominating the PC market? These are just some of the crucial questions answered in this in-depth report that will drive R&D efforts as well as future fab capacities and the profitability of the world's largest semiconductor maker, Intel, and its smaller rival, AMD.
In-Stat also explores some significant industry and market trends and analyzes their respective effects on the PC microprocessor marketplace, e.g., the US and global economy, form factor shifts, evolving usage models, and software distribution channels, In-Stat also reveals how Generation "M" (those born in 1992 or later) will drive the adoption of ultra-mobile devices (UMDs), to obtain the "true" Web experience anywhere and anytime, Additionally, In-Stat explains why high-def is not the last-def and that the next-def will likely have a profound impact on microprocessor performance requirements in the future.
Finally, In-Stat examines, in detail, the strategies, products, roadmaps, fab capacities, and branding issues for both Intel and AMD, All of this leads up to In-Stat's forecast, which is broken out by PC form factor and covers both historical data from 2003 to 2007 and the forecast out to 2012.
Two new devices have joined the fray in the UMD market. Nvidia's APX2500 is a new ARM device with high-definition video display capabilities and PC-class graphics. Texas Instrument's OMAP3440 is a new ARM device with both high-definition video display and capture. This report takes a quick look at the product introductions and the troubling impacts these two new devices have for Intel's Menlow and Moorestown, Via's C7 and Isaiah, and other ARM suppliers.
The ultra mobile device space has been an enigma for many, as market watchers try to determine if it’s a market verging on explosive growth, and, therefore, an opportunity that should not be missed, or, instead, a market that was never meant to be. With major market events such as the ITU acceptance of WiMAX as a 3G standard, In-Stat takes a snapshot look back at the events of 2007 in the UMD market in an attempt to better understand if there is momentum that should not be ignored. Along with the historical snapshot, this report also considers some of the key challenges the market segment faces looking forward. This report considers the following questions:
-Can there be two internets? There can only be one full-featured Internet. -Will users be able to have true mobile connectivity? WiMAX and Gobi bringing anywhere/anytime access closer to reality. -Will the consumer accept mobile Internet usage? Companies such as Samsung, Intel, Nokia, and Apple think so, given the successes of 2007’s UMPC, MID, and smart phone products. -What are my choices for giving users 8 hours + run times? Moorestown and Isaiah to the rescue.
Intel Competitor Line-Up: Challenges to the Industry Leader
The competitive landscape for Intel is changing with its expansion into emerging form factors and markets, such as UMPCs/MIDs—a move that is being prompted by the decline of the desktop PC market. The silicon giant now finds itself battling with new competitors, such as ARM and VIA in the low-power, emerging form factors and consumer electronics space, as well as with more traditional competitors, such as AMD and IBM. This report examines all of these competitors and comes to the conclusion that while Intel is well-positioned owing to its strengths in microprocessors and chipsets, as well as R&D and manufacturing, it will face some interesting and competitive years ahead. In-Stat also believes that mounting costs and competitive pressures and an emphasis on systems, software, and services will cause IBM to eventually exit the semiconductor manufacturing business. Included in this report are: - Details on each competitor’s strategies and competitive advantages - SWOT Analyses for Intel and each of the primary competing companies - Comparative analysis of each company’s strategy, product lines, product roadmap, and prospects with those of Intel - Comprehensive tables, offering a one-stop mechanism for locating the parts offered in each competitor’s product lines in addition to their respective parameters
The Changing Face of North American Business PC Usage and Purchasing Patterns
Business usage and buying patterns are under pressure from market forces such as the tightening of financial markets. With limits on access to ready sources of capital for operations, business habits for purchasing, upgrading, and replacing PCs are changing. Technology providers looking to thrive on changes in business PC usage, such as new expected life spans of PCs, can use survey results found in this report to align their product and roadmap strategies.
This report summarizes the results of a business usage and purchasing patterns survey conducted in March of 2007. Findings in this report include business users time spent on PCs, the desired features of future PC purchases, changes in usage patterns, anticipated life span for PCs, and business users thoughts about what new PCs should cost.
Results from this report will help companies determine:
-When businesses are likely to make their next PC purchase. -The features business users really want, based on their usage and buying patterns. -If mobility is a focus for business. -How business views infrastructure.
