The global radio frequency front-end (RFFE) industry, valued at $21 billion, has evolved from its initial focus on mobile and infrastructure markets to now include significant growth in the automotive sector.
Each of these segments presents unique challenges and opportunities for expansion.
After a challenging 2022, the smartphone market is beginning to recover, with a projected year-over-year growth of 4%. This growth is expected to push the smartphone market to 1.2 billion units by 2024. Correspondingly, the mobile RFFE market is anticipated to reach $18 billion by the end of 2024. However, this market may face stagnation due to factors like market saturation and pricing pressures. On the other hand, while the telecom infrastructure market has recently slowed, it is expected to recover by 2026. The RFFE market in this sector is forecasted to reach $4 billion by 2029, driven by advancements in Massive MIMO technology and radio unit upgrades. Additionally, the small cell market, supported by the rise of private networks, contributed approximately $300 million in RFFE content during 2023.
“In the automotive industry, connectivity plays a vital role in enabling software-defined vehicles, which in turn fuels demand for automotive RF devices. This market is expected to expand, with the 2027 launch of RedCap bringing 5G to mid-range vehicles and the increasing need for connected vehicle technology,” said Cyril Buey, Ph.D., Technology and Market Analyst, Radio Frequency at Yole Group.
To provide further insights into this evolving industry, Yole Group has released its latest report, RF for 4G/5G Industry 2024. This comprehensive study examines emerging RFFE technologies for 4G and 5G networks while analysing the semiconductor advancements that are pushing the performance of these systems. The report provides a detailed market overview, with demand and growth forecasts across key sectors, including smartphones, telecom infrastructure, and automotive. It also delves into market dynamics, technological trends like carrier aggregation and Massive MIMO, and assesses the competitive landscape, highlighting region-specific developments and opportunities for RFFE advancement.
The RFFE ecosystem plays a critical role in telecommunications, providing the core devices and technologies that power wireless communication systems. The industry spans a broad supply chain of devices and technologies, with increasing trends toward miniaturisation and the integration of multifunctional modules to reduce costs and space in mobile and infrastructure systems. However, the RF component market for 4G/5G remains highly fragmented, resulting in a complex technological landscape that has been further complicated by the vast number of companies involved. With the advent of 5G, the industry has begun to consolidate around a few key players.
A select group of companies – Qualcomm, Broadcom, Skyworks, Qorvo, Murata, NXP, and newer entrants like Maxscend, Vanchip, and Smarter Micro from China – now dominate the market. These eight companies control over 80% of the RFFE devices for the 4G/5G economy, with a collective market value of $16 billion.
In the automotive segment, Qualcomm leads the pack, offering comprehensive RF solutions from modem to RFFE for its clients. Qualcomm also holds a significant position in the fixed wireless access CPE market. Meanwhile, companies like Qorvo and Skyworks are making strategic moves into the infrastructure and automotive sectors. Although these emerging sectors offer promising profitability, the volume of end systems remains relatively small at present.
The new report by Yole Group offers a deep dive into these dynamics, exploring the growth potential across various markets and the technological innovations shaping the future of RFFE for 4G, 5G, and beyond.
