The Global RF Interconnect Market Size Was Valued at USD 27.31 Billion in 2021 And Is Expected to Expand at a CAGR of 7.5% from 2022 to 2030.

RF Interconnect Market Overview

RF interconnect is used in many electronic products where the quality of the signal transmission is important, such as when high-speed digital signals are being used. A radio frequency (RF) interconnect is the full path that links one device to another. Radio frequency cables are being used more and more in aerospace, telecommunications, and military applications, which is a big reason why the demand for RF cable assemblies is going up. RF cable assemblies are an important part of mission-critical electronic systems used by the military. RF cables are used in places where there is a lot of stress and danger because they allow for fast communication and have low loss. RF cable assemblies are also used in lab equipment and test-measuring tools because they work quickly and reliably. Because of these benefits, RF cables are used in military applications and the RF cable assembly market is growing.

RF cable assemblies are an important part of mission-critical electronic systems used by the military. RF cables are used in places where there is a lot of stress and danger because they allow for fast communication and have low loss. RF cable assemblies are also used in lab equipment and test-measuring tools because they work quickly and reliably. Because of these benefits, RF cables are used in military applications and the RF cable assembly market is growing.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is used by smart cities to make their operations run more smoothly, improve citizen welfare and government services, and share information with the public. Using data analysis and smart technologies, the main goal of a "smart city" is to boost economic growth and improve city functions while also making people's lives better. Rapid improvements in data analysis, the internet of things, and connectivity are powering new applications and driving innovation.

Cities all over the world are putting in place new technologies that are changing how people live, work, play, and get around. Because more sensors and devices are being used to collect data, RF technology is becoming more and more important to the infrastructure of smart technology. Real-time information makes businesses run more smoothly in all fields. RF adapters, cable assemblies, and connectors make it possible for almost all smart city projects, which need wireless connectivity to send data, to connect wirelessly.

Segment Overview

Type Insights

The RF cable assembly segment led the market as a whole, with a revenue share of more than 33% in 2021 and a CAGR of more than 6% over the next few years. Cable assembly is when one or more cables are put into a single tube and put together. The ends have connectors put on them and are linked to adapters. RF cable assemblies are the lines that carry RF signals from one part of a system to another (for example, equipment to equipment, equipment to the antenna, PC board to the antenna, PC board to a PC board, etc.).

Most of the time, this cable assembly is made up of radio frequency coaxial connectors that are attached to a coaxial cable mechanically. When designing radio frequency coaxial cable assemblies, there are many things to think about. These include mechanical factors (like length, weight, and size), environmental factors, the effectiveness of the shielding, electrical performance (like return loss, insertion loss, and impedance), frequency, connector types, materials, and construction.

During the forecast period, the RF coaxial adapter is expected to grow at the fastest rate, with a CAGR of 8.7%. These are passive coaxial components that move signals from one connector interface to another. They can be used to change signals from a Sub-Miniature A (SMA) connector to an N-Type connector interface of Bayonet Neill-Concelman (BNC) connectors to Threaded Neill-Concelman (TNC) connectors, etc.

In terms of how they work, adapters and connectors are the same. These are also used to connect devices from different places on a network. RF adapters can also be told apart by their gender, just like most other adapters, connectors, plugs, and sockets. Most of the time, you can tell a female RF adapter by its pin, which is also called the plug. Male RF adapters have a hole for attaching the pin or plug on female connectors, which is used to connect the two separate parts. Jacks are another name for male RF adapters.

Frequency Insights

The up to 50 GHz segment led the whole market, with a 41.9% market share in 2021 and a CAGR of 7.0% over the next few years. Super High Frequency is the name for this range of frequencies (SHF). The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) calls radio frequencies (RF) between 3 and 50 gigahertz SHF. This frequency band is also called the centimetre band or the centimetre wave because the wavelengths are between one and ten centimetres.

SHF is also known as "microwave" because the radio waves it uses are in the microwave band. Because microwaves have a short wavelength, aperture antennas can direct them into thin beams. This makes them good for data links, point-to-point communication, and radar. This frequency range is used by most satellite phones (S-band), satellite communication, wireless LANs, microwave radio relay lines, radar transmitters, and a lot of short-range data links on land. They are also used to heat food in microwave ovens, to treat cancer with microwave hyperthermia and medical diathermy, and to heat things in industrial microwave ovens.

During the forecast period, the up to 6GHz segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate, with a CAGR of 8.5%. Ultra High Frequency is the name for this range of frequencies (UHF). UHF connectors are radio frequency connectors that can send signals up to 6 GHz in frequency. The surge impedance of these connectors is not always the same, and they are usually used for radio applications like ham radio, marine VHF radio, and amateur radio.

End-user Insights

In 2021, the others segment is expected to have the most revenue, with a 61.7% share. In the "Others" section, you can find information about industries like construction, IT and telecommunication, consumer electronics, manufacturing, and automobile. Due to the ongoing development of high-tech products and the growing demand for HVAC equipment with advanced features, the consumer electronics industry is expected to be a good place for the global radio frequency cable industry to grow.

The outlook for the aerospace and defence segment should be helped by the growing need for flexible, highly durable, and high-performance RF systems for efficient signal processing in military applications like Electronic Warfare (EW). Also, the demand for power transmission and distribution networks is likely to rise as more money is put into digitization projects in all industries.

During the forecast period, the industrial segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate, with a CAGR of 8.7%. High-frequency connectors are used to connect cables, printed circuit boards, and devices that send very high frequencies. There are small connectors and big, heavy connectors on the market. Connectors are not only needed to make current and future technologies work, but they must also be able to handle the ever-increasing transmission rates, adapt to changing economic and environmental conditions, and always meet the need for reliability and performance, even in tough situations.

Regional Analysis

Asia Pacific led the market as a whole in 2021, with a share of 44.02% of all sales. In the Asia-Pacific region, the need for RF interconnect components is being driven by, among other things, better manufacturing facilities, better government programmes, more construction, and more investments in new infrastructure. For example, in August 2020, the Prime Minister of India opened a unique underwater optical fibre cable that connects the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the rest of India. The government wants to give residents high-speed internet data transfer and boost the local economy.

During the forecast period, North America is expected to grow at the fastest rate, with a CAGR of 8.3%. Some of the main things that are driving the growth of the RF interconnect in North America are the growing interest of different governments in giving people access to high-speed internet, new opportunities for oil and gas development, and strict laws for RF systems. For example, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has put in place a number of rules about how RF devices work and how they affect people and the environment. The division has also enforced a number of rules, and to keep an eye on the installations, it uses special software to measure the radio frequency density near broadcasting towers.

Scope Analysis:

Recent Developments

• In September 2020, Delta Electronics, Inc. said that it worked with the COBO (Consortium for On-Board Optics) and Microsoft to make a POC (proof of concept) open networking switch with 12.8 Tbps of bandwidth capacity. The Consortium for On-Board Optics standard makes it easy to put five different types of optical modules in a single 4U rack with eight ports. This saves up to 30% of energy and speeds up transmission to 800G. This innovative proof-of-concept open networking switch shows how good Delta is at making and researching next-generation data centre infrastructure that is fast and uses less energy for the 5G era.
• In November 2020, The Canadian government said it would spend about USD 134.84 million (CAD 175 million) to help people and businesses connect to high-speed data networks. Plans called for about 98% of Canadians to be connected to high-speed internet networks by 2026, and for everyone to be connected by 2030.

Market Segmentation

This portion of the study on the RF Interconnect Market gives detailed data on the segments at the country and regional level, thereby aiding the strategist in determining the target demographics for the relevant product or service and the impending opportunities.

By Product Type

• RF Cable
• RF Cable Assembly
• RF Coaxial Adapter
• RF Connector
• Others

By End Use

• Aerospace & Defense
• Medical
• Industrial
• Others

By Frequency

• Up to 6 GHz
• Up to 50 GHz
• Above 50 GHz

By Companies

• Penn Engineering Components
• Jupiter Microwave Components Inc.
• Quantic Electronics
• Amphenol RF
• Delta Electronics, Inc.
• Samtec
• Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions
• Ducommun Incorporated
• ETL Systems Ltd.
• Smiths Interconnect
• DigiLens Inc.
• Corning Incorporated
• Global Invacom
• Radiall
• HUBER + SUHNER
• L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
• Flann Microwave Ltd.