Cellular base stations, semiconductors in "declining demand", says report

The next few years could be tough ones for the cellular base station equipment and semiconductor industry, says recent research conducted by In-Stat. The high-tech market research firm predicts base station semiconductor revenue will decline an average of 12.3% per year between 2008 and 2012 now that the recent “unusual” infrastructure growth spurt which saw operators around the world spending on new 3G equipment, has cooled. The slowing worldwide economy will also contribute to the decline. "Many operators have spent heavily on 3G upgrades and they are now waiting for service revenues from these networks before they invest more," says Allen...