Worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) customer premises equipment (CPE) shipments by local companies are expected to reach 413,000 units in the second quarter and 485,000 units in the third quarter, up from the first quarter’s 264,000 units, a Taipei-based research institute said on Friday, citing rush orders and higher demand.
The Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC, 產業情報研究所) said that in the first quarter, many local manufacturers of WiMAX CPE were unable to fulfill orders on time because of a sudden rush of requests and the subsequent shortage of components.
But in this quarter and next quarter, MIC says component shortages will not be an issue and suppliers will be able to deliver on time.
Since last year, domestic equipment makers have invested heavily into research and development of 802.16e WiMAX products.
The IEEE Standards Association approved the 802.16e mobile wireless standard in December 2005, amending the original 802.16 transmission standard to facilitate high data-rate transmission and voice communication from moving vehicles.
“With the accumulated expertise in 802.16e technology, local manufacturers have already finished end product testing, enabling them to receive international WiMAX CPE orders, which will be an added boost to the second and third quarter shipment numbers,” MIC analyst Yen Xiang-yu (顏向瑜) wrote in the report.
MIC is betting heavily on the worldwide trend toward wireless technology and sees great opportunities for Taiwan WiMAX CPE makers.
“WiMAX licensed operators such as Japan’s UQ Communications Inc and Malaysia’s Packet One Networks are already in their initial or trial stages for mass wireless services. So are many telecommunications service providers in emerging markets, which are ready to take part in this next wave of technology,” Yen said.
Looking at the WiMAX product mix in the first quarter, MIC said that 90 percent of the first quarter’s shipments were comprised of 16e models.
“Compared with 802.16e, 802.16d products shipments will continue to decline because 16e models have better downward adaptability to a variety of existing machines and equipments. Hence, the future mainstream CPE product will definitely be 16e-related,” Yen said.
Even though the first quarter’s shipment total stayed at the same level as the previous quarter ***--*** 264,000 units ***--*** the total shipment value dropped 22.4 percent quarter-on-quarter to US$29.5 million because of the few suppliers that had inventory on hand, but drove down average selling cost in order to secure orders and build long-term business partnerships with buyers.
Meanwhile, MIC predicted in a separate report that Taiwan’s digital cable set-top boxes chip shipments would see a 3.2 percent increase year-on-year to 2.31 million units this quarter, compared with first quarter’s 2.14 million units, or annual growth of 5.5 percent.
MIC said the total number of digital TV subscribers around the world came to 133 million people last year, growing 34 percent from the previous year.
The primary locations for digital TV remains the US and Europe, the report said.
“As cable providers in the US and Europe push for digital TV and provide many incentives for existing customers to make the switch, they are also waging a battle against competitors in order to woo their clients amid the technology upgrade. Hence, all these activities will no doubt increase the demand for cable set-top boxes and related equipment suppliers,” the report said.
‘SWASTICAR’: Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s close association with Donald Trump has prompted opponents to brand him a ‘Nazi’ and resulted in a dramatic drop in sales Demonstrators descended on Tesla Inc dealerships across the US, and in Europe and Canada on Saturday to protest company chief Elon Musk, who has amassed extraordinary power as a top adviser to US President Donald Trump. Waving signs with messages such as “Musk is stealing our money” and “Reclaim our country,” the protests largely took place peacefully following fiery episodes of vandalism on Tesla vehicles, dealerships and other facilities in recent weeks that US officials have denounced as terrorism. Hundreds rallied on Saturday outside the Tesla dealership in Manhattan. Some blasted Musk, the world’s richest man, while others demanded the shuttering of his
Taiwan’s official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) last month rose 0.2 percentage points to 54.2, in a second consecutive month of expansion, thanks to front-loading demand intended to avoid potential US tariff hikes, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) said yesterday. While short-term demand appeared robust, uncertainties rose due to US President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policy, CIER president Lien Hsien-ming (連賢明) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s economy this year would be characterized by high-level fluctuations and the volatility would be wilder than most expect, Lien said Demand for electronics, particularly semiconductors, continues to benefit from US technology giants’ effort
ADVERSARIES: The new list includes 11 entities in China and one in Taiwan, which is a local branch of Chinese cloud computing firm Inspur Group The US added dozens of entities to a trade blacklist on Tuesday, the US Department of Commerce said, in part to disrupt Beijing’s artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing capabilities. The action affects 80 entities from countries including China, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, with the commerce department citing their “activities contrary to US national security and foreign policy.” Those added to the “entity list” are restricted from obtaining US items and technologies without government authorization. “We will not allow adversaries to exploit American technology to bolster their own militaries and threaten American lives,” US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said. The entities
Minister of Finance Chuang Tsui-yun (莊翠雲) yesterday told lawmakers that she “would not speculate,” but a “response plan” has been prepared in case Taiwan is targeted by US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, which are to be announced on Wednesday next week. The Trump administration, including US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, has said that much of the proposed reciprocal tariffs would focus on the 15 countries that have the highest trade surpluses with the US. Bessent has referred to those countries as the “dirty 15,” but has not named them. Last year, Taiwan’s US$73.9 billion trade surplus with the US
RSS