Telecom Products

China's IC design and manufacturing industry has grown steadily in the past two decades. During the early 90s when Motorola entered China as a pager maker, the only component sourced locally for the device was the iron chain. Foreign enterprises establishing facilities there had to rely on international providers for chip requirements.

China's shipments of VoIP gateways rose 5 to 10 percent in 2009, driven by growing demand for related residential and business services amid tightened spending in other communication areas. This mirrors the rise in the global VoIP services market, which reached $21 billion in the first six months of 2009, according to Infonetics.

China's growth as a major hub for mold production is driven by the rapid expansion of several manufacturing sectors, notably in the electronics, automotive and security industries.

Although figures are not available, mold sales in 2009 were estimated to have increased 15 percent YoY, while projections for 2010 are at 15 to 20 percent.

China's 3G phone industry enjoys sustained growth as white box and branded handset makers continue to take up the line. The latter began contributing to R&D in 2003, focusing on WCDMA and CDMA2000 as they waited for the homegrown TD-SCDMA to catch on.

White box makers, meanwhile, entered the field spurred by advancements in the domestic 3G commercial networks, which opened a new venue where they coul d try out products.

The industry is poised to boom, thanks to beefed up investment in telecom infrastructure and strong government support.

China suppliers of base station antennas are optimistic about the growth in the next 12 months after the government granted 3G licenses to three telcos in 1H09. With it, China is expected to be at par with other countries that have already deployed the technology.