The increasing availability of IoT devices, machines, and use cases, coupled with additional radio spectrum and protocols, has created more complexity when designing and integrating antennas into products.
A new analysis by ABI Research, a global technology market consulting company, studies how the antenna market develops to meet the unique challenges of the Internet of Things, and found that increased competition and technological complexity will drive the shipment of IoT antennas to 7.2 billion in 2025.
The report also highlights key technology trends, as well as the transformation of antenna manufacturers’ business models and system-level methods of RF design.
Tancred Taylor, IoT hardware and equipment research analyst at ABI Research said:
“Increased radio complexity, device miniaturization, reduced power consumption, and a complex certification environment are among the many factors that make antenna integration more difficult.”
“These challenges are well-known in the smartphone industry. However, unlike the smartphone market consisting of a few OEMs and a large number of products, many OEMs in the Internet of Things do not have in-house expertise to solve this complexity, and they want to create A wider range of products. This provides antenna manufacturers with a huge opportunity to provide support and additional services throughout the project design cycle, and to provide value by going beyond their traditional role as a component manufacturer.”
Suppliers are changing their methods to ensure that they meet the unique needs of each device. In most cases, manufacturers such as Antenova or Ignion are building their off-the-shelf product lines to supplement or replace custom antenna products, helping smaller OEMs bring devices to market faster, reducing complexity, and often at lower cost . “Although use case analysis shows that custom-designed antennas will still account for the largest share of shipments, the shift to offering a wider selection of prefabricated and tunable components may make IoT device design and product assembly easier, thereby undermining the dominance of custom antennas Status,” Taylor explained.
Other vendors, such as Laird, Taoglas, Linx Technologies, or PSA Group, are increasing their product portfolios as a one-stop shop for more parts of the solution, and establishing closer partnerships with other vendors to achieve joint products Go to market and simplify the design and certification process. Quectel, the largest module supplier, recently added an antenna to its product portfolio, which has a potentially disruptive impact on the one-stop supplier group.
In areas where technological breakthroughs must clear physical limitations, many antenna suppliers are further turning to software and services to provide the best results. There are many methods, from providing design and simulation services or certification assistance (such as Radientum, CoreIoT) to helping OEMs (such as Taoglas, Laird, Airgain) throughout the product design cycle. Antenna manufacturers hope to improve their skills and capabilities by gradually building up internal expertise and through acquisitions.
Antenna OEMs need to think strategically about their business models, not only to maintain relevance in a more competitive market, but also to maintain relevance in an increasingly diversified technological environment. “Both business and technical variables need to be considered, from partnerships that improve component interoperability and expand sales channels, to new technologies such as active antenna systems and dynamic tuning chips. Suppliers will increasingly provide a wide range of products and services. The more common,” Taylor concluded.
