FMI forecasts more than 800 thousand RF tester units to be sold by the end of 2027. During 2019-2027, the global RF tester market has been anticipated to observe a 6% CAGR in terms of volume.
Up from over 500 thousand units sold in 2018, a new Future Market Insights study projects 5.6% growth in global RF tester sales, in 2019. While more than 1/3rd of the total sales of RF tester is concentrated in the telecommunications industry, the report points to significant demand growth for RF tester in the aerospace and defence industry.
Exhaustive use of radiofrequency waves for satellite and telecommunication applications continues to account for a sizeable share in the total sales volume registered by RF tester market. This share is strongly backed by a rapidly emerging wave of applications in radio and satellite communication, coupled with rising applicability in video broadcasting. Towering sales of wireless electronic instruments are translating into hike in sales of RF testers.
Aerospace and defense industry has been recording a considerably growing rate of RF tester installation in recent years, which is poised for 7% annual growth in 2019. Modern aerospace and defense industry that extends much beyond only battlefields has already shifted to an electronic warfare that relies heavily on a robust network involving a range of precise, high-accuracy communication devices.
RF devices used in a plethora of aerospace and military applications are subject to a critical check of a series of performance parameters such as spectral purity, frequency coverage, and phase noise, among others. In line with increasing functional criticality of RF devices in military and aerospace communications, industry operators are generating significant demand for RF testers. As RF testers affirm the reliability and availability of rugged RF devices without any failure or malfunctioning, it is more likely that substantial sales opportunities will emerge in the aerospace and defence industry over the course of next few years.
Portables/Handhelds Gaining Ground in RF Tester Market
Advancing technologies have blurred the lines between conventionally used RF testers, i.e. spectrum analysers and oscilloscopes. Sales volume of oscilloscopes is more likely to be on a constant high in coming years. However, spectrum analysers will continue to account for a maximum share in the RF tester market, according to the volume-wise analysis.
Sales of conventional benchtop RF testers that currently account for more than half the total sales volume of RF tester market are likely to witness a moderate slowdown in coming years. The report opines that widening applicability of handheld/portable RF testers will eclipse that of benchtop RF testers, resulting in robust yearly growth prospects of the former against a steady outlook estimated for the latter in RF tester market. The study attributes positive demand growth outlook projected for handheld/portable RF testers to their high convenience as an accessible instrument on field.
R&D efforts targeting development of flawless communication networks have been instrumental in pushing the scope of innovations in RF tester market. While prerequisites of satellite communication and RF signalling continue to promote RF tester instruments that are based on advanced technologies, innovations are likely to be centred at their power, precision, and accuracy.
Leading innovators in the RF testing space are focusing on launching RF testers compatible for variable functionality, specifically meeting high-accuracy wide-range applications. Japan’s measurement solutions providing giant – Yokogawa Test & Measurement Corporation, recently introduced a new RF tester for wide-bandwidth range that specifically caters to the demands of aircraft power systems.
