China's Comm Market Takes Great Leap Forward

LONDON — China's communications market — including mobile phone, cellular base station and wireless local area network/wide area network (WLAN/WAN) equipment — is set to be worth more than $68 billion in 2005, up 27 percent from 2004, according to a report from Hong Kong based publisher Global Sources.

The report predicts China will need $59 billion worth of integrated circuits (ICs) in 2005 to meet strong demand from communications equipment makers and other segments of China's electronics and information industry.

China's mobile phone production is set to grow annually, on average, by 14 percent until 2007. In 2005, output will reach 223 million units, according to the report

Chinese cellular base station should reach $5.4 billion in 2005, up 12 percent from 2004, due to China's rapid growth of mobile phone subscribers. China's WLAN market will generate sales of US$23.45 million in 2005, up 20 percent from 2004, due to the spread of broadband access, falling equipment prices and the continued popularity of notebook PCs.

The report has been published by EE Times-China and Electronics Supply & Manufacturing-China (ESM-China), which are published by eMedia Asia Ltd., a joint venture between Global Sources and CMP Media LLC."As local IC production is still limited, 91.9 percent of makers' IC requirements will be imported. This will provide continued market opportunities for international semiconductor vendors," said Mark Saunderson, publisher of EE Times-China and ESM-China, in a statement.

CMP Media LLC is the pubisher of Silicon Strategies.