On June 6, 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued four 5G licenses, marking China's official entry into the 5G era. The issuance of 5G commercial licenses has accelerated the deployment of 5G base stations, driving the demand for electronic components.MarketRequirement，
The pace of technological replacement for electronic components has also been accelerated. From the perspective of 5G demand, the development prospects of the electronic component market are extremely promising.。
One, Antenna prices and volumes rise simultaneously
5G spawns the entry of mobile phones and base station antennas into Massive MIMOThe era of rising antenna prices and volumes is here. 5G requires deployment across multiple frequency bands.Therefore, a wider spectrum is required.BandwidthBroader millimeter waveBandsCommunicate with large-scale antenna technology. As a result, the number of mobile phone antennas is increasing in the 5G era, array antennas may become mainstream, and there will be a revolution in antenna packaging materials, with LCP antennas expected to become the norm.2020 sawMarket OpportunityAnticipated to reach between $2.4 to $3 billion.DollarAbove. In the 5G era, MIMO and other antenna technologies have ushered in a technological upgrade, not only increasing the number of antennas but also demanding higher quantities and performance of radiation units.
Section 2: Driving the Acceleration of Radio Frequency Front-End
The communication standards have further upgraded in the 5G era, leading to a continuous rapid growth in the value of RF front-end units for mobile phones, with the value expected to exceed $22 in the 5G era. It is predicted that the market size for mobile phone RF front-end will reach $22.7 billion in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate of 14%. Filters are a major business segment in the RF front-end market. With the increase in supported frequency bands for mobile phones in the 5G era, the value of single-unit filters will grow rapidly, and the market size will expand from $5.2 billion in 2016 to $16.3 billion in 2022, achieving a compound annual growth rate of 21%.
Base station upgrades boost PCB demand and prices simultaneously.
With the advent of 5G commercialization, the development of millimeter waves is driving the construction of millions of small cell sites. The mass construction and upgrading of communication base stations will...CompanyCommunication boards are experiencing a surge in demand, leading to an upgrade and replacement wave in PCBs. The increase in both quantity and price of PCBs in the 5G era is specifically reflected in the following aspects: 1. The number of PCBs used per base station antenna may increase, and they must also adopt low-loss and ultra-low-loss high-frequency PCBs, which will also see a significant rise in average price. 2. The PCBs used in RRU will be larger in size, made of high-speed materials, and their value will be higher. 3. The area and layer count of PCBs used in BBU will increase, and they must meet low-loss or ultra-low-loss requirements, which will impose certain performance demands on PCBs, leading to an increase in added value.
High-frequency, high-speed material demand is significant.
High-frequency signals have a wider frequency band compared to low-frequency signals. With the advent of the 5G era, communication transmission frequencies are higher, resulting in increased demand for high-frequency PCBs and high-speed PCBs. Consequently, there is a greater need for high-frequency copper-clad laminates and high-speed substrates.Demand QuantityThe demand and added value for high-frequency copper clad laminates in the 5G era will expand as well. The antennas in 5G base stations, including the reflector plates, back panels, and TPX&PA circuits within the DU and AAU, all utilize high-frequency materials. These materials must maintain a stable dielectric constant while keeping dielectric loss low, reflecting the increased performance requirements for high-frequency materials.
