Wireless to be 55% of Connectivity IC Shipments This Year, Says IHS

The “colossal” IoT opportunity will drive wireless technologies to 55 percent of connectivity IC shipments this year, said IHS Markit Tuesday. “Massive IoT use cases requiring long battery life, deep coverage and mobility are fueling demand for cellular and low-power wireless.” Bluetooth and Zigbee are “entrenched in the home automation and consumer electronics segments,” and wireless in future years also will have “a huge impact on industries such as healthcare,” it said. IHS pegs 5G as the top wireless technology to watch, it said. “The move to 5G will trigger significant investment across the value chain from 2020 to 2030, with $2.4 trillion in capital expenditures during this time frame,” it said. The first 5G deployments will address enhanced broadband use cases, “but industry, not humans, will be the chief 5G driver,” it said. “Most growth in new subscriber connections will come from industrial use cases rather than consumer markets.”