Wireless Telecommunications Equipment Manufacturing Industry Profile

Companies in this industry produce radio and television broadcast and wireless communications equipment. Major companies include Apple (the US), Cisco (the US), Ericsson (Sweden), Huawei (China), Nokia (Finland), OPPO (China, owned by BBK Electronics), Samsung (South Korea), Xiaomi (China), and ZTE (China).

Worldwide, wireless phone and data service subscriptions total close to 8 billion - an average of more than one subscription per person, according to GSMA Intelligence. Mobile adoption is slowing as more markets become saturated, but developing regions still hold potential for growth. Of the 710 million people expected to subscribe to mobile services for the first time between 2018 and 2025, half will come from the Asia/Pacific and about a quarter will come from Sub-Saharan Africa.

The US wireless telecommunications equipment manufacturing industry includes about 740 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $26 billion.

The industry is part of the Telecommunications Equipment Manufacturing sector, which is covered further in a separate industry profile.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by evolving networking technology that enables new applications and services. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient operations and bringing new products to market quickly. Large companies enjoy economies of scale in purchasing raw materials, components, and manufacturing equipment. Smaller companies can compete effectively by specializing in niche products or components. The US industry is highly concentrated: the 50 largest companies account ...