Tech Hardware Supply Chain - Gazhoo

Bhavin Shah
(852) 2800-8538
bhavin.a.shah@jpmorgan.com
130
Asia Pacific Equity Research
20 April 2009
Silicon content
The WiMAX Forum launched its certification program in 2005, detailing its
certification process and timeline. Products compliant with the WiMAX certification
were released in January 2006. Certified products for fixed access are now available
and the momentum for mobility enhancements continues to grow with the increasing
involvement of mobile operators and equipment manufacturers. The WiMAX Forum
has more than 420 members comprising majority of operators, and component and
equipment companies in the communications ecosystem.
Intel
Intel’s Centrino platform is currently driven by wireless LAN. Intel had a marketleading
share in wireless LAN shipments within notebook PCs, and will use its
marketing muscle to promote WiMAX, in our view. Significantly, the company also
has OEM relationships with service providers like Alvarion, Aperto, Proxim, Redline
and Siemens Mobile for fixed wireless broadband. It delivered the fixed SoC
WiMAX solution, Intel WiMAX connection 2250, which enables WiMAX modems
for use in fixed or mobile networks.
Fujitsu Microelectronics is one of the principal WiMAX promoters. Fujitsu in
October 2007 announced the integration of Agilent’s WiMAX test solutions into
Fujitsu’s chipset solution for mobile WiMAX. In February 2009, the company
launched the MB86K23 mobile WiMAX baseband IC.
Several single-chip solutions were introduced in 2008 for WiMAX by companies
such as Maxim, Sequans and GCT semiconductors. In addition, the WiMAX Forum
includes various other chip and component makers. Hellosoft, Analog Devices,
Texas Instruments, Wavesat, Picochip, and STM-NXP Wireless are other
semiconductor providers that are providing chips that support WiMAX.