Analog Devices Expects ‘Low-Volume’ 5G Production in 2020, ‘More Meaningful Ramp’ in 2021

The migration to 5G “isn't just about wireless,” said Analog Devices CEO Vincent Roche on a fiscal Q4 call Tuesday. It will also require “a complete re-architecting of the core and wireline network to meet the 5G vision of gigabit speeds, low latency and high reliability demanded by mission-critical applications,” he said. “This network expansion will require a significant upgrade of the backhaul system, opening a new revenue opportunity,” he said. The chipmaker's ambitions include supplying optical and "point-to-point microwave solutions" to 5G networks, he said. Its 5G infrastructure design wins “are moving to low-volume production in 2020, ahead of a more meaningful ramp in 2021,” he said. Analog Devices expects 5G demand to “remain modest” for the rest of calendar 2019, “with a positive inflection in demand to occur in the fiscal second quarter as the global 5G rollout ramps,” said Chief Financial Officer Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah.