Editor’s Note: With 2014 now upon us, RCR Wireless News has gathered predictions from leading industry analysts and executives on what they expect to see in the new year.
There are a number of absolutes for 2014: The wireless market is going to continue to boom as wireless capabilities are being integrated into a growing number of products. LTE network build out and adoption will also continue to grow, increasing pressure on operators to offer LTE international roaming and enabling better user experiences. And, devices are going to trend toward having even more functionalities built into them while their form factors will continue to become thinner and sleeker, or at least not stay the same.
As a result, I predict that we’re going to see a major shift in how OEMs approach mobile device design. OEMs are going to come to the drawing board wanting solutions to make their products smarter – from traditional mobile devices to consumer electronics, machine-to-machine solutions and more. Already we have made major strides in bringing “active antenna systems” to market to provide advanced capabilities to solve the challenges of “4G.” These solutions include advanced antenna structures combined with active components, such as tunable capacitors and/or switches, driven by increasingly more complex algorithms.
And while the industry can expect to see demand for active antenna systems continue, they can also expect to see more advancements and innovations in RF chips that are capable of seamlessly adjusting the cellular antenna’s characteristics to its dynamic requirements for optimal connectivity, covering wider frequency ranges and offsetting hand and head effects.
Also, with a 25% shrink rate of the device form factor to accommodate larger batteries, displays and more, little room is left for the RF componentry. Therefore, the makeup of the components inside these devices will evolve dramatically. Cross collaboration between RF component makers will be paramount to finding an ever-evolving solution, especially since the antenna is the only RF sensor in a device and is critical to optimizing the overall RF “front end.”
In addition, the demand for integrated antenna system solutions – antenna structures, RF chips and algorithms offered as an optimized package solution to OEMs – will grow to eliminate the burden on OEMs to source individual components from different vendors, integrate them and try to make it all work. Buying an optimized system also helps bring products to market faster as OEMs won’t need to devote resources to the steep learning curve that comes with new technologies. It is all about applying technology with a high level of service, speed and quality. These innovative, integrated antenna and RF system solutions will have a significant effect on OEMs since they will:
–Provide the high-performance capabilities they desire.
–Help them meet the specification requirements for LTE and international LTE roaming.
–Speed up their time-to-market.
–Reduce their bill-of-material costs by combining multiple active components into a single RFIC (tunable capacitor and switch combinations and more).
Altogether given the constant demand for wireless-enabled devices and the increasing connectivity challenges facing OEMs, I predict that 2014 is going to be another positive year for the global wireless market – particularly companies in the antenna, RF systems and chip space.
Laurent Desclos, Ph.D., brings approximately 20 years’ wireless industry experience to Ethertronics as its President and CEO, a role in which he is responsible for the total management of Ethertronics and its global antenna design and manufacturing operations. Desclos previously served as Ethertronics’ COO and CTO. In addition to managing Ethertronics’ day-to-day operations, Desclos was responsible for overseeing the company’s global research and design teams. A specialist in the design of antennas and RF integrated circuits, Desclos has been intimately involved in developing Ethertronics’ patent portfolio, expanding the company’s operations in Korea, China and Taiwan, and recruiting Ethertronics’ world-class engineering and in-country management teams. Desclos received his Doctorate from the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Rennes, France. He is a senior member of IEEE, and a technical adviser to several wireless startups.
