Multimode "Thin" Baseband Chip Market Grew 892% in 2012

Details are in new Forward Concepts Report Claimed to be the Most Comprehensive

Mesa, AZ, U.S.A. -- April 11, 2013 -- The highest cellular chip growth rate last year was the multimode stand-alone (3G/LTE) baseband chip market at 892% for a total of $852 million. That represented 50 million modems and another 20 million 3G/LTE digital basebands integrated with application processors (DBB Apps Processors) brought the 3G/LTE basebands to 70 million total units. This year, we expect that figure to grow by nearly double as Western Europe LTE kicks in. Of course, this is just one segment of the $59 billion 2012 market for all cellular terminal chips (excluding memory) which increased 24% over the prior year.

Although digital basebands, application processors and com-processors (basebands paired with application processors) accounted for almost a third (31%) of this market, there are many other rapidly growing chips that serve this market, as illustrated in the graphic below. From a revenue growth standpoint, GPS chips grew 87% to the $779 million level, thanks to 100% take-up in the Smartphone market in 2012. But MEMS of several types experienced 64% growth to $3.9 billion in 2012. These and many other chips and their 2011-2012 growth figures are included in the newest market study from Forward Concepts.

The new market study analyzes the market dynamics and shipment metrics of all significant integrated circuits in cellphones of all types and cellular-enabled tablets. The new study is published in a new extensive (641-page) report, "Comprehensive Cellphone & Tablet Chip Markets '13," which addresses the global cellular terminal chip market. Cellular chips for Smartphones and Media Tablets receive special attention in the report. And LTE devices are emphasized as well.

The report profiles the major chip vendors and provides their market shares for each chip type. And the study provides forecasts through 2017 for unit shipments, average selling price and revenue for individual chip components. Market metrics and company profiles are the central focus of the study.

Will Strauss, Forward Concepts’ president said, "We are confident that this study provides the comprehensive information needed for new product and business planning."

The new report is available only electronically (PDF) and details are at www.fwdconcepts.com/Cellchip13