The burgeoning sales of smartphones in both developed and developing countries are driving the demand for radio frequency (RF) semiconductors across the world. Emerging economies such as India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria, and Indonesia are witnessing a sharp surge in smartphone usage, on account of the rising internet penetration, soaring disposable income of people, and increasing urbanization rate. According to the Global System for Mobile Communications Association’s Mobile Economy 2020 report, in APAC, smartphone usage will rise from 64% of the total population to 81% from 2019 to 2025.
The other major factor driving the expansion of the RF semiconductor market is the growing adoption of the internet of things (IoT) technology in various operations. IoT assists in building an interconnected framework of physical things such as smart systems through secure networks with the help of RF technologies. For instance, RF transceivers are incorporated in smart home systems for connecting with the internet using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. In addition to this, the surging number of smart city projects in various countries is also augmenting the requirement for smart devices.
Read More: RF Semiconductor Market Analysis and Demand Forecast Report
Besides, the rapid technological advancements being made in wireless communication are also fueling the sales of RF semiconductors across the world. Due to these factors, the revenue of the market will surge from $2.1 billion in 2019 to $5.0 billion by 2030. According to the estimates of the market research company, P&S Intelligence, the market will advance at a CAGR of 8.8% from 2020 to 2030. Gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphate (InP), silicon (Si), silicon-germanium (SiGe), and gallium nitride (GaN) are the most commonly used types of RF semiconductor materials.
Out of these, the demand for GaAs RF semiconductors was found to be the highest during the last few years, primarily due to their less power dissipation, lower power consumption, high efficiency, and high voltage and temperature tolerance than the other RF semiconductors. Power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers (LNA), switches, tuners, and filters are the main components used in RF semiconductors. Out of these, the demand for power amplifiers was observed to be the highest in 2019.