Rising IoT market spurs cellular antenna shipments

Research has indicted that there will be sharp growth in global cellular internet of things (IoT) connections over the course of the decade, leading to a commensurate spike in the deployment of new technology and services to enable the automation of IoT device management and security,.

In the latest study of the arena, IoT market research provider Berg Insight is predicting that until 2028, cellular IoT antenna shipments will likely grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9% to reach 1.2 billion at the end of the period.

The analysis sees cellular IoT antennas as being broadly divided into internal and external antennas, and that users have available a range of antenna types to choose from when deciding which to use. It said the most important factors to consider are size, cost and performance, with the ideal antenna having a small form factor, low cost and “excellent” performance. Berg noted that this is not always possible in the real world and trade-offs must be made, as there is generally no one-size-fits-all antenna solution.

In addition to the 1.2 billion shipment by 2028, Berg calculated that annual shipments of cellular IoT antennas, including internal and external antennas, amounted to 598 million units in 2023.

Looking at the technology used in the product category, Berg observed that even though an antenna is a conceptually basic passive component, there were many challenges associated with the implementation of antennas. In particular, it said the complexity of RF design requires a deep understanding of electromagnetic principles, signal integrity and the intricacies of printed circuit board (PCB) design.

Making a comparison about who is manufacturing devices, Berg said major smartphone OEMs have teams of hundreds of engineers that design custom antennas for their devices. In contrast, it said cellular IoT device makers typically do not have the resources or scale to design antennas in-house and rely on specialised antenna vendors that provide off-the-shelf antennas, as well as custom antenna design services.

Looking at which companies are driving the market, Berg said the cellular IoT antenna market is served by a multitude of players of different sizes, with diverse portfolio strategies and varying degrees of specialisation when it comes to antennas. An important category is the major diversified electronic component manufacturers such as TE Connectivity, Kyocera and Amphenol.

Berg regards Taoglas as one of the leading pure-play IoT antenna vendors in North America and Europe. Sunnyway Technologies was cited as the market leader in China, being active across all the main antenna segments. Other key antenna providers that are active in more than one segment are discoverIE (operating through the brands 2J Antennas and Antenova), Pulse Electronics and Quectel.

Antenna providers primarily focusing on the internal antenna segment include Ignion, Abracon, Ezurio, Unictron and Walsin Technology Corporation. The external antenna market is fragmented, with few vendors having substantial presence in more than one region.

Berg Insight ranks Panorama Antennas, Parsec Technologies and PCTEL (acquired by Amphenol in December 2023) as the market leaders. Other major external antenna providers include Amphenol Procom, Poynting Antennas, Huber+Suhner and Airgain.