Over the past couple of years we have seen the deployment of LTE, TD-LTE (Long-Term Evolution Time-Division Duplex) and FDD-LTE (Frequency Division Duplex, Full Duplexing) networks continue to expand in all regions of the world. Almost hand-in-hand, we have also seen that as Voice over IP (VoIP) has matured and come into its own, as more companies are moving away from an in-house PBX system in favor of a more flexible unified communications (UC) solution.
In the big picture, this is just a portion of the total package. As the technology of being able to communicate wirelessly from any location on a global basis continues to expand, the method of being able to connect needs to keep pace. We are a generation of always needing to be connected and that connection has to be at faster speeds, which requires a wireless infrastructure that can handle the load.
A new report recently released from ABI Research entitled “RF Power Amplifier Equipment for Cellular and Wireless Infrastructure” takes a look at the RF (radio frequency) market. The report makes note of the fact that RF power amplifiers are an integral part of all base stations for cellular and mobile wireless infrastructure.
An RF Power amplifier is a type of electronic amplifier used to convert a low-power radio-frequency signal into a larger signal of significant power, typically designed for driving the antenna of a transmitter. It is usually optimized to have high efficiency, high output power compression, good return loss on the input and output, good gain and optimum heat dissipation.
Essentially, RF power amplifiers represent one of the most expensive component sub-assemblies in current wireless infrastructure equipment. Both their performance and cost appear to be important drivers in base station design. Some of the main concerns are towards efficiency, physical size, linearity and reliability.
The report shows that last year, 2014, was a very strong year for wireless infrastructure hardware, with RF power amplifiers leading the way. A further breakdown shows that the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, was the strongest player in the market. I am not surprised at this since at the end of 2013, three of China’s top wireless providers were awarded licenses for the deployment of TD-LTE and FDD-LTE.
Lance Wilson, who is ABI Research’s Research Director, said “For the foreseeable future the Asia-Pacific region, particularly China, will remain the most important region and focus for RF power amplifiers for wireless infrastructure. Although up until 2014, LTE had not significantly impacted RF power amplifier sales to the degree some would have wished, that has changed now and as 2014 demonstrated, it is going to drive RF power sales in the wireless infrastructure space from 2015 onward.”
The ABI report shows that in 2014 China was the driving force behind RF power amplifier sales. With respect to the wireless infrastructure segment, China brought in almost $5 billion. There are still countries, such as India, that are only now beginning to move ahead with LTE deployments. As we begin to see more of these deployments in conjunction with the use of VoIP and VoLTE services we can expect to see the RF power amplifier market continue to steadily grow.
Edited by
Dominick Sorrentino 
QUICK LINKS 
