Archive
Round-up 2010: Best of electronics, telecom and technology
Year 2010 has been a good year for the global electronics industry, rather, the technology industry, coming right after a couple of years of recession. Well, it is time to look back on 2010 and see the good, bad and ugly sides, if any, of electronics, telecom and technology.
Presenting my list of top posts for 2010 from these three segments.
ELECTRONICS
Electronics for energy efficient powertrain
Photonics rocks in India @ APW 2010, Cochin!
Plastic Logic’s QUE proReader looks to mean business!
Growing Indian power electronics market provides host of opportunities
Philips focuses on how interoperability, content sharing drive CE devices!
Is this a war of tablets, or Apple OS vs. Google Android?
India needs to become major hardware player!
Roundup of day 2 @ Electronica India 2010
Strategic roadmap for electronics enabling energy efficient usage: Venkat Rajaraman, Su-Kam
NI stresses on innovation, launches LabVIEW 2010!
What’s Farnell (element14) up to? And, semicon equipment bubble burst? Whoa!!
Bluetooth set as short range wireless standard for smart energy!
View 3D TV, without glasses, today!
Indian medical electronics equipment industry to grow at 17 percent CAGR over next five years: ISA
Top 10 electronics industry trends for 2011
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
LTE will see larger deployments, higher volumes than WiMAX!
LTE should benefit from WiMAX beachhead!
Context-aware traffic mediation software could help telcos manage data tsunami: Openwave
Mobile WiMAX deployment and migration/upgrade strategies
Upgrade to WiMAX 2 uncertain as TD-LTE gains in momentum!
Tejas celebrates 10 years with new products for 3G/BWA backhaul
Focus on gyroscopes for mobile phone apps: Yole
Bluetooth low energy should contribute to WSN via remote monitoring
INSIDE Contactless unveils SecuRead NFC solution for mobile handset market
How are femtocells enhancing CDMA networks?
Top 10 telecom industry trends for 2011
TECHNOLOGY
Symantec’s Internet threat security report on India has few surprises!
Epic — first ever web browser for India, from India!
Norton cybercrime report: Time to take back your Internet from cybercriminals!
NComputing bets big on desktop virtualization
Brocade launches VDX switches for virtualized, cloud-optimized data centers
It isn’t an easy job tracking so many different segments! 🙂 I will try and do better than this next year!
Best wishes for a very, very happy and prosperous 2011! 🙂
4G RAN status and trends: Vendors search for winning strategy
According to Pralle, data usage explosion has been happening due to new devices and applications, leading to order of magnitude growth in network elements, which creates opportunities in flexibilty addition and opex reduction.
Syputa pointed out that vendors are searching for a winning strategy in a shifting industry as integrated network services fuel sales and consolidation.
More details in a while.
Upgrade to WiMAX 2 uncertain as TD-LTE gains in momentum!
Here’s the concluding part of the Maravedis seminar on Mobile WiMAX Deployment and Migration/Upgrade Strategies.
Robert Syputa of Maravedis focused on the evolving technology and market landscape. He said, the landscape features skyrocketing wireless broadband demand, such as the iPhone. That’s also translating into fixed broadband networks. ‘Hot’web devices would drive the industry growth. Also, the WiMAX IC vendors were the first to market with LTE.
Some other features of this landscape include multiple-mode WiMAX/LTE: extend or transition? Also, the WiMAX operators have been indicating a shift to LTE. Finally, the upgrade to WiMAX 2 was uncertain as TD-LTE was gaining in momentum. It is still early to tell what the commitments to WiMAX 2.0 would be.
Definitely, the early 4G adoption trend is exceeding many operator’s expectations due to broadband traffic demand.
Commenting on the deployment considerations, he said the fit of wireless technologies would be according to the market needs. This would take into consideration factors such as degree of mobility and roaming, build or migration to flat IP, and response to competition with 3G/LTE.
Some points to consider for device and network upgrades and migration include: how to migrate devices from WiMAX to LTE, changes in core networks, and impact of SONs, femtocell. The degree selected market is driven by mobile web devices. Maravedis also listed various candidate bands identified for IMT. Read more…
Mobile WiMAX deployment and migration/upgrade strategies
This week, I had the pleasure of attending a Maravedis seminar on Mobile WiMAX Deployment and Migration/Upgrade Strategies, sponsored by Aviat Networks. Thanks a lot to Maravedis for providing me this opportunity.
Adlane Fellah of Maravedis provided a general overview of the mobile WiMax scenario, while Robert Syputa of Maravedis touched upon the evolving technology and market landscape. Later, Jonathan Jaeger, WiMAX Solutions Marketing, at Aviat Networks discussed the mobile WiMAX deployment and migration/upgrade strategies.
Key trends in LTE and WiMAX
As for LTE chipsets, the leading chipset vendors include Qualcomm, ST-Ericsson and Nokia. The early solutions support LTE only. However, it is believed that the early suppliers may not be the long term winners.
Coming to WiMAX devices, we have seen diversified deployments of low cost CPEs, dual-mode USB dongles, and smartphones, etc. As for LTE devices, demonstrators = single-mode followed by dual-mode USB dongles. With regard to 4G equipment, WiMAX has clearly established a beachhead for technological progress, and LTE will surely benefit from it.
LTE should benefit from WiMAX beachhead!
4G equipment executive summary 2009
One, mobile WiMAX chipset shipments surged. Further, there has been a shift in devices. The year 2009 has also down as the year of transition between WiMAX and LTE. In fact, WIMAX has established a beachhead, while LTE has been gaining in momentum. It is apparent that the LTE chipsets landscape is already crowded.
Maravedis also presented some BWA/WIMAX statistics for 2009 — 5.6 million chipsets, 4.8 million devices, and 3.5 million new subscribers (Source: 4Ggear Quarterly Report –March 2010).
When one looks at the WiMAX chipset breakdown by device during 2009, indoor fixed CPEs segment accounted for 49 percent, followed by USB dongle and PC cards at 42 percent. Embedded PC (netbook, notebook) contributed 4 percent, while outdor CPEs added up to 3 percent and indoor fixed CPEs accounted for 2 percent, respectively.
LTE/WiMAX trends
Now, let us look at some selected LTE and WiMAX key trends, as per the 4Ggear report.
Among WiMAX chipsets, the vendors have offered differentiated chipsets to address the emerged markets. The aggressive chipset prices have led to higher volume and optimized platforms. In case of LTE chipsets, as of now, the early solutions support LTE only. It may be pointed out here that the early suppliers may not be the long term winners.
Turning to devices, in the case of WiMAX devices, there have been diversified deployments of low cost CPEs, dual-mode USB dongles, and smartphones. In the case of LTE devices, the demonstrators have single-mode followed by dual-mode USB dongles.
As for the 4G equipment equipment itself, it is clear that WiMAX has already established a beachhead for technological progress. Definitely, LTE stands to and will benefit from all that. Read more…
LTE will see larger deployments, higher volumes than WiMAX!
Craig Miller, VP, Marketing & Business Development, Sequans Communications.
Late last month, I had the pleasure of attending a Maravedis seminar on 4Ggear: Equipment market update and chipset trends. It also included a market perspective from Sequans Communications, presented by Craig Miller, VP, Marketing & Business Development. This post will highlight Craig’s presentation. Maravedis’ post will follow thereafter.
4G trends: Device volumes and devices
During 2010, WiMAX device shipments are on pace to triple vs. 2009. The volume is well balanced in 2010. Key growth drivers include handset adoption, deployments in India as well as continued growth in US, Japan, SE Asia, and the MEA.
As for 4G devices, in the beginning (ca. 2006-2008), the device shipments were dominated by fixed broadband CPE. Today, the device ‘mix’ is shifting toward mobile broadband devices, netbooks and mass-market multimode handsets. Tomorrow, we shall witness more mass-market handsets, plus mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and other CE devices, as well as the emergence of M2M applications.
According to Miller, mass market prices are here now, enabled by low cost, high-integration chipsets. Read more…
NXP India's Rajeev Mehtani on top trends in global/Indian electronics and semicon!
When a new year approaches, we start analyzing the year gone by and try to gauge what could happen in the coming year. This really holds true, as far as the technology industry is concerned.
It’s been a week since I’ve been mulling over these myself, especially, pondering over developments in the global semiconductor and electronics industries, as well as what could happen in India during 2009. Well, lots will happen, and I can’t wait for the new year to start!
I caught up with Rajeev Mehtani, vice president and managing director, NXP Semiconductors, India, and discussed in depth about the trends for 2009. Here’s a look at that discussion.
INDIA — ELECTRONICS & SEMICONDUCTORS
1. The DTH story will continue to increase in India with companies such as Tata Sky, DISH TV, BIG TV, etc., gaining market share. Owing to these challenges, there would be significant consolidation among the cable operators. Digitalization will also be seen in 2009.
2. The slowdown will affect growth across all sectors. Our view is that LCD TVs as well as STBs will continue to grow.
3. The year 2009 will witness e-commerce revolution and the RFID sector will grow at a 40-50 percent clip. The government has been sponsoring a lot of projects, which include RFID in the metros, e-passport cards and national ID cards. By mid-2009, we can expect a mass deployment of these projects as well as micro payments.
4. Manufacturing in India will continue to grow; EMS or OEMs, such as Samsung, Nokia, Flextronics, etc.
5. There could be a move from services to products in electronics and semiconductor spaces. The number of funded startups has grown significantly over the last years and more and more ideas are coming on the table.
6. The solar/PV sector will grow in India. High entry cost of capital for panels will be a barrier for this sector. Government enhancement is necessary. India will be different than other countries as people won’t push energy back into the grid; it will be used more for household consumption. The India grid is unstable. Tracking it requires a lot of expensive electronic switching. Solar deployment could be at the micro level, and also community level, where it makes more sense.
7. The startups in India are mostly Web 2.0 based, although there aren’t many hardware startups.
GLOBAL — ELECTRONICS & SEMICONDUCTORS
1. The semiconductor industry is truly global, That is mostly because it is a very expensive industry.
2. Things are a bit murky in the semiconductor industry. It would probably be dipping 10-15 percent next year.
3. Globally, energy management and home automation will start to take off in 2009. Satellite broadcasters will also continue to gain more strength.
4. On a worldwide scale, 3G will win. You will have 3G phones, and you’d add LTE to those. India is slightly different. Only 20 percent of Indian households are ready for broadband access. In India, WiMAX could be a way to have wireless broadband at home.
5. Industries moving to 300mm fabs will be making up only 20-25pc of the market. Not many need 45nm or 40nm chips. People will question any major capex, until there’s a big return and wait for recession to end. The bright spot is solar!
6. The fabless strategy would be the only way to go forward. While MNCs with fabless strategy are present in India, Indian startups in this space are quite few.
Altera strategy to partner with Indian design services firms
Turning my attention to the programmable logic market, I took advantage of my recent meeting with Jordan Plofsky, Senior Vice President Market, Altera Corp., during the Altera SOPC conference.
Programmable logic consumption in India has been estimated at between $20-$25 million in 2008, largely driven by strong growth in communications infrastructure and increased spending in the military sector. The Indian programmable logic market is likely to grow at a CAGR of 25 percent over the next three years.
Altera’s India strategy
In this context, it will be interesting to note Altera’s strategy within the Indian semiconductor industry.
Plofsky says that as multinational companies are transferring more design work to their R&D teams in India, local companies are expanding their range of products, and independent design service companies are capturing a bigger piece of the outsourced design pie, Altera forecasts the increased need for high quality application support.
He says: “Unlike other companies who have design services operations in India, which compete with the local independent design services, our strategy is to partner with the local India design services industry. We are expanding our direct and indirect support channels to provide higher quality services to our customers here.”
Altera is also supporting the development of the education sector in India, which is modernizing to turn out well trained engineers to satisfy the appetite of the industry. “We also run industrial workshops and seminars, like the recent SOPC World in Bangalore and New Delhi, to educate the design community on the direction of semiconductor technology,” adds Plofsky.
Altera has also set up Altera Joint Laboratories in leading universities across India to provide a better platform for undergraduates to grasp basics of programmability.
Role in solar?
With investments in solar/PV happening, is there a role for Altera and other FPGA companies? This is a question that I invariably ask everyone in the semiconductor industry!
According to Plofsky, one of the promising applications is smart metering. It is the practice of getting the users and the infrastructure to be power aware and then using different usage patterns to lower energy usage and energy costs by applying smart algorithms.
Addressing low-power design
Power consumption has always been a big concern for designers in all markets and Altera has a number of different solutions.
In the CPLD area, Altera announced its zero power MAX IIZ devices in late 2007. Offering the highest density and I/O count in packages as small as 5x5mm, compared to macrocell-based CPLDs, MAX IIZ devices allow designers to meet changing functional requirements and lower power while saving board space.
Consuming 75 percent less power than competing FPGAs, the Altera Cyclone III devices are the industry’s first and only 65-nm low-cost FPGA family, and offer digital system designers an unprecedented combination of density, power and cost.
To address the low-power demands of high density customers, the Stratix III and Stratix IV family members feature Altera’s patented Programmable Power Technology. This power-saving technology optimizes logic, DSP and memory blocks to maximize performance where needed while delivering the lowest power elsewhere in the design. And in addition these designs can be converted to HardCopy ASIC devices that can reduce power consumption by 50-70 percent.
As for new products in the LTE, TD-SCDMA and NFC spaces, Plofsky says that with the new 40-nm devices, Altera is uniquely positioned to deliver solutions that provide the density, performance and power for these emerging applications. The combination of DSP blocks, memory and transceivers was optimized for these communication applications.
Roadmap beyond
Altera just announced its 40nm devices in May and it is said to be on target to deliver those devices by the end of 2008.
Adds Plofsky: “We have already started development work on smaller process geometries with test chips in fab now, but it is too early to go into any family detail at this time.”
Pradeep Chakraborty 