Jan. 2, 2008 – A decline in wireless infrastructure (3G/cellular) deployments is opening up inroads for other markets to underpin the RF power semiconductor market, projected to be a $1B market by 2012, according to a report from ABI Research.

“This market has been overshadowed for many years by the wireless infrastructure sector. Now that new 3G/cellular wireless infrastructure deployments are declining, there is a paucity of information about how the rest of the industry is faring,” according to research director Lance Wilson, in a statement. Primary concerns, he noted, include the emergence of GaN and SiC RD devices, and what this means for Si LDMOS; and the de-emphasis on mobile/3G infrastructure usage, and whether segments outside wireless will shore up the space.

The study breaks the RF power chip segment into six subcategories: wireless infrastructure, military, ISM (industrial/scientific/medical), broadcast, commercial avionics, and non-cellular communications, each subdivided into 2-6 specialty segments. The study looks at RF power semiconductors with power outputs >5W and <e;3.8GHz operating frequencies; a later study will examine higher-frequency devices.