Telecommunications Equipment Manufacturing Industry Profile

Companies in this industry make equipment used in telephone, data, radio and TV broadcast, and wireless communications networks. Major companies include Apple, Cisco, and Qualcomm (all based in the US), as well as Ericsson (Sweden), Huawei and ZTE Corporation (both based in China), Nokia (Finland), and Samsung (South Korea).

Global spending on information technology is forecast to reach about $5.06 trillion in 2024, according to Gartner. Further, communication services remain the key driver in the industry growth at about $1.55 trillion of total spending.

The US telecommunications equipment manufacturing industry includes about 1,300 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $35 billion.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

The industry depends on purchases from businesses, telephone companies, cable companies, data communications providers, and TV and radio broadcasters. Profitability for individual companies is linked to technical innovation and the ability to secure high-volume contracts from large customers. Small companies can be successful if they make highly specialized products. There are large economies of scale in manufacturing standard products, but many products are specialized and produced in small manufacturing plants. The US industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies generate about 75% of revenue.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

About 50% of US industry revenue comes from communication systems and equipment, including GPS. This is followed by products including data communications equipment (about 15%), and wireless networking systems (about 10%). Other products include alarm systems, broadcast, studio, and ...