Chipmakers are set to roll out Wi-Fi 6E chip solutions in the second half of the year, bringing new business opportunities for IC test and certification labs including Sporton International.
Sporton vice chairman Peter Wang said his company has been busy fulfilling test and certification orders for Wi-Fi 6 chips and related terminal devices, and will see stable Wi-Fi 6E-related orders starting in second-half 2021.
Wang said Wi-Fi 6/6E or even Wi-Fi 7 connectivity will become a standard feature for routers, notebooks, handsets and other consumer devices in the 5G era. He continued Wi-Fi 6 devices already accounted for 30% of Sporton's networking test and certification business in 2020, and the rate may advance to over 50% in 2021, including Wi-Fi 6E solutions.
While Broadcom has taken the lead in developing Wi-Fi 6/6E chips solutions, MediaTek is following closely behind and has ventured its Wi-Fi 6E chips into the supply chain of Samsung Electronics' new 8K TVs, industry sources said.
In the wireless communication sector, 5G NR has been gaining penetration in handsets, notebooks and CPE solutions at a faster pace than expected, according to Wang, who disclosed that Sporton completed over 60 certification cases in the segment in 2020 and will handle over 90 cases in 2021.
Wang said 5G handset inspection and certification business will contribute 30% of its revenues from the handset segment in 2021, up from 20% in 2020, as demand for 5G smartphones in both FR1 and FR2 (mmWave) frequency bands will grow in the months ahead.
Sporton has reported its first-quarter 2021 revenues jumped 37% on year to NT$1.009 billion (US$36.03 million), with optimism that its annual revenues for the year will see a double-digit growth.
