As we all know, Huawei can not launch 5G mobile phones now, the best way is only to use 5G communication shells, so that 4G mobile phones can be put on the 5G communication shell and become 5G mobile phones.
Why can't Huawei launch 5G phones? First, there are no 5G chips, such as the chips currently supplied by Qualcomm, all of which are 4G chips. Second, there is no 5G RF front end, and this supplier does not provide it to Huawei.
Therefore, if Huawei wants to launch 5G mobile phones next, it must solve two problems, one is to get the 5G chip, and the other is to get the 5G RF front end.
In terms of 5G chips, it is necessary to be able to find a foundry, and Huawei HiSilicon itself has this strength. In front of the 5G RF, Huawei HiSilicon is also involved, but it also needs to work together with domestic manufacturers, after all, the MARKET for the RF front end is very large, involving many industrial chains, including PA modules, FEM modules, AIP modules, discrete filters, split switches, discrete LNA, antenna tuner and RFIC and other products
According to the forecast of the agency Yole, by 2026, the global radio frequency pre-segment (RFFE) market is planned to reach $21.67 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of 8.3% from 2021 to 2026.
In fact, the front stage of RF is not only the mobile phone to be used, the devices that require mobile communication connections, as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and ultra-broadband connection devices, are more or less part of the components.
According to Yole's data, in 2021, the five major global manufacturers of Skyworks, Murata, Qualcomm, Qorvo and Broadcom jointly accounted for 84% of the RF front-end market, of which Skyworks 21%, Murata 17%, Qualcomm 16%, Qorvo 15% and Broadcom 15%.
However, the good news is that in recent years, domestic manufacturers are also on the rise, and in 2021, domestic manufacturers have obtained about 10% of the share, achieving a growth rate of about 15%.
Although these domestic manufacturers started from discrete business such as independent low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), PA or switches, they slowly accumulated experience and technology from easy to difficult, and then advanced towards difficult industries.
For example, Zhuoshengwei has made a breakthrough from the switch and almost monopolized the domestic market, with revenue of up to 4.64 billion yuan in 2021, and the shipment of 4G PA of Weijie Chuangxin also ranks first in China, and there is also a breakthrough in 5G PA, and the revenue in 2021 is also as high as 3.5 billion yuan.
In addition, there are RF companies such as Feijun Technology and Huizhi Micro have become the darlings favored by the capital market in the IPO stage, and are expected to achieve greater development in the future with the blessing of capital.
It can be seen that driven by internal and external pressure and the trend of localization of the RF front end, domestic manufacturers are also constantly working hard to make a collective breakthrough, although there is a gap with international giants now, but the gap is narrowing, and the future may catch up.
With the deepening of 5G, the era of the Internet of Everything has arrived, and even the future 6G and 7G are inseparable from the RF front end, and domestic manufacturers must also rise to be able to not be stuck in the neck of foreign manufacturers, and in the future competition, they are invincible.