The growing demand for mobile devices and surging adoption of the internet of things (IoT) technology are the key factors positively driving the global RF transceiver market. It is expected to generate $3,384.5 million in revenue by 2030, advancing at a CAGR of 0.8% during the forecast period (2020–2030). Drop in prices of RF transceivers owing to increase in economies of scale and expected fall in demand for technology like 2G and 3G in coming years, are projected to negatively impact the market size during the forecast period.
The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted the supply chain of components, thus impacting original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in China and other countries, which, in turn, has affected global shipments. The pandemic has forced a slowdown in the supply chain, which has further delayed the deployment and expansion of 4G and 5G networks in many countries.
4G Transceivers Held Largest Share in Market
The RF transceiver market, based on type, is classified into 2G transceiver, 3G transceiver, 4G transceiver, and 5G transceiver. Among these, the 4G transceiver category held the largest share in 2019, which is attributed to the replacement of the 3G technology with the 4G technology in developing countries, such as India, Indonesia, Brazil, and Thailand.
In the RF transceiver market, on the basis of design, single-chip transceivers generated the highest revenue in 2019. Single-chip transceivers lead to low power consumption and are suitable for low-voltage operation in wireless systems. Further, single-chip transceivers are increasingly being used in the healthcare industry for wireless body area network (WBAN) and telemetry communication.
Based on application, the RF transceiver market is categorized into mobile devices, embedded modules, routers, add-on cards, and others, where “others” include gaming and customized devices. Among these, mobile devices dominated the market in 2019, mainly due to people’s rising dependence on wireless communication networks, which has led to an increase in the sale of mobile devices. Further, the mobile phones market is one of the fastest-growing industries in Asia-Pacific (APAC), with China, India, and Japan as the leading countries.
Geographically, the APAC region held the largest share in the RF transceiver market in 2019, and it is expected to remain dominant during the forecast period. The rapid adoption of wireless communication devices, emergence of the IoT technology, rising demand for video streaming, and swift digitization are resulting in the notable market growth in the region.
Market Players Are Focused on Product Launches
Key players in the RF transceiver industry are relying on product launches to consolidate their market position. For instance, in January 2020, Qorvo Inc. launched Qorvo QPG7015M, an IoT transceiver, which enables the simultaneous operation of all low-power, open-standard smart home technologies. It is targeted at gateway IoT solutions that require the full-range capability of Bluetooth low energy (BLE), Zigbee, and thread protocols with +20 decibel-miliwatt (dBm) outputs.
Some of the major players operating in the global RF transceiver market are Infineon Technologies AG, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Analog Devices Inc., STMicroelectronics N.V., Qorvo Inc., Broadcom Inc., Qualcomm Incorporated, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Skyworks Solutions Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., ON Semiconductor Corporation, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Nokia Corporation, Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Fujitsu Limited, and ZTE Corporation.