5G baseband processor sales already surpass 4G baseband processor sales

Although the first quarter of 2021 has been going on for a long time, Strategy Analytics has just finished processing the data for the third quarter of 2020, which characterizes the sales of key components of cellular devices – baseband processors.

As it turned out, revenue from the sale of 5G baseband processors compared to the same period in 2019 increased by 27%, to a record value of $ 7.1 billion. For the first time, it surpassed revenue from the sale of 4G baseband processors and accounted for more than 50% of the market.

The five largest suppliers include Qualcomm, MediaTek, HiSilicon, Samsung and Intel. Qualcomm alone had a 40% share. Another 22% is taken by MediaTek, 19% – by HiSilicon. At the same time, due to trade restrictions, sales of HiSilicon products decreased by more than 20%. The market share that HiSilicon is forced to leave will be captured by Qualcomm, MediaTek and Samsung in 2021. Analysts believe Huawei may have to sell HiSilicon assets to a third party to survive in the face of continuing uncertainty.