Wireless decade to drive the test equipment industry

 An analysis of the signal generator and arbitrary waveform generator market is provided in this research service. This market covers three segments including radio frequency signal generators (RF SGs), microwave signal generators (MW SGs) and arbitrary waveform generators (AWGs). There will be continued growth in the SG and arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) market though it may not be a steep increase over the next few years. In the current scenario, the products in the SG and AWG market tend to be more evolutionary than revolutionary. Innovation relates to more covered bandwidth, frequencies, accuracy and operating systems.

The $636 Million SG and AWG Market to Inch toward $800 Million in 2017 due to the Slow Rate of Innovation
Wireless Communication Standards Vital to Offset the Market Maturity and Generate Revenue

The mature SG and AWG market has made slow progress in recent years, with product development being more evolutionary than revolutionary. Innovation remains limited to increasing bandwidth, frequency range, accuracy, and improving operating systems. Most products in the market can deliver either high resolution or signal speed, but not both. “However, the potential for growth in the AWG segment has been increasing with the introduction of next-generation products providing high-speed bandwidth,” says the analyst of this research. “An increasing number of digital modulations transport more data in the same bandwidth, making them more likely to generate imprecise levels of transmissions and phase angles and increasing the need for AWGs.”

Market participants can also take heart from the continuous development of wireless communication standards, which could potentially lead to a ‘wireless decade’ in the next ten years. The SGs market will be eagerly following the rapid development of standards such as wireless interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), third-generation (3G) wireless, fourth-generation (4G) wireless, wideband code-division multiple access (WCDMA).

“Many end users are looking for defined architectures to help them communicate over WiMAX, CDMA, or long term evolution (LTE) and are looking for software packages around hardware that can communicate on these standards,” notes the analyst. “The combination of communications with wireless 60GHz and improvements in new wireless technologies in the aerospace and defense segments will give a boost to the SGs and AWGs market.” There is also a perceptible shift to a software-defined approach in the market. AWGs are especially useful when they are combined with software to simplify waveform creation and fully exploit wideband signal generating capabilities. The higher technical demand in the SG and AWG market has had companies leveraging new standards such as new open standard for modular instrumentation and advancedTCA extensions for instrumentation and test (AXIe) in the AWG market while others are increasing the channel count with four-channel AWGs.

We examine the following market sectors in this research:

• Radio frequency signal generators (RFSGs)
• Microwave signal generators (MSGs)
• Arbitrary waveform generators (AWGs)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Executive Summary

2. Market Overview

3. Total Signal Generator and AWG Market
   3.1 External Challenges: Drivers and Restraints
   3.2 Forecasts and Trends
   3.3 Market Share and Competitive Analysis
   3.4 Mega Trends and Industry Convergence Implications

4. RF Signal Generator Segment Breakdown

5. MSG Segment Breakdown

6. AWG Segment Breakdown

7. The Last Word (Conclusions and Implications)

8. Appendix