RF Test Equipment Market Trends

Global RF Test Equipment Market Overview:

The global RF test equipment market size was valued at USD 3.80 billion in 2022. The RF test equipment market is projected to grow from USD 4.03 billion in 2023 to USD 6.14 billion by 2030, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.20% during the forecast period (2023 - 2030). 

With the expanding industry and expansion of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), Wireless networks are becoming more widely used for in-building communication systems. They are the key market drivers enhancing the RF Test Equipment market growth.

Source: Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

RF Test Equipment Market Trends

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  The use of 5G-capable smartphones is rising and will boost the market growth

  
  

The fifth-generation (5G) cellular broadband technology standard. Worldwide demand for 5G-compatible devices has significantly increased in recent years, and various industries, including manufacturing and telecoms, are expanding their use of 5G technology in cellular devices. The need for RF test equipment has increased in research and development labs due to the development and testing of 5G network-based products. 

The market for RF test equipment intended for cutting-edge telecommunication applications and 5G devices is anticipated to grow as a result of the rapid advancements in 5G technology and the resulting rise in demand for mobile data services, significant adoption of machine-to-machine (M2M) communication technology in industries, and the increased need for superior network coverage. Thus, this factor is driving the RF Test Equipment market CAGR.

The cost of services and equipment used to upgrade the transportation system accounts for at least 30% of the total project cost. The high cost of the equipment for the network based on optical transmission is mostly to blame for this high cost. The increasing LTE adoption is also driving the expansion of the examined industry in Asia-Pacific. In the year leading up to the end of Q1 2018, operators in the area added 656 million new LTE subscribers, indicating a 46% growth rate. Currently, 65% of all LTE subscribers worldwide are in the Asia-Pacific. 

The cost of equipment and services, as well as at least 30% of the total project cost, are included in upgrading the transportation network. The expensive equipment required for the network's optical transmission system is mostly to blame for this high cost. The increasing LTE deployment in Asia-Pacific also fuels the study market's expansion. Up to the end of Q1 2018, operators in the area added 656 million new LTE subscribers, a 46% growth rate. Currently, 65% of all LTE subscribers globally are in Asia-Pacific. Thus, this aspect is anticipated to accelerate RF Test Equipment market revenue globally.

RF Test Equipment Market Segment Insights:

RF Test Equipment Connectivity Insights

Based on Connectivity, the RF Test Equipment Market segmentation includes Oscilloscopes, Spectrum Analyzers, Signal Generators, Network Analyzers, and others. The Spectrum Analyzers RF Test Equipment segment held the majority share in 2022, contributing to around ~65-67% of the RF Test Equipment Market revenue. The widespread use of wireless technologies in various applications, such as network-based devices and smart manufacturing, is one of the key drivers driving the growth of the spectrum analyzer market. The development of new types of spectrum analyzers, considerable increases in their bandwidth and frequencies, and the widespread use of portable devices are further factors supporting the growth of the spectrum analyzer market.

RF Test Equipment Form Factor Insights

The RF Test Equipment Market segmentation is based on Form Factor, Bench-Top, Portable, and Modular. The Modular segment dominated the market in 2022 and is projected to be the faster-growing segment during the forecast period, 2022-2030. Several architectural designs for modular equipment include PXI, AXIe, and PCI Express. They can produce findings much more quickly than other instruments and are specialized in assessing testing settings in manufacturing facilities and designs of RF devices. For applications that need quick and accurate measurements, such as high-volume production, where quality control, product compliance, and test optimization are crucial, modular signal analyzers are suitable. A modular oscilloscope system offers substantially greater synchronization precision by employing a single-time basis for all acquisition modules and a single integrated trigger circuit to drive the system. Hence, rising advancements in RF Test Equipment positively impact market growth.

Figure 1: RF Test Equipment Market, by Form Factor, 2022 & 2030 (USD billion)

RF Test Equipment Frequency Insights

The RF Test Equipment Market data has been bifurcated by Frequency into Between 1 GHz to 6 GHz, More than 6 GHz and Less than 1 GHz. The More than 6 GHz segment dominated the market in 2022 and is projected to be the faster-growing segment during the forecast period, 2022-2030. In the upcoming years, as demand for 5G connection technology increases, it is anticipated that there will be an increase in the need for RF Test Equipment with a frequency greater than 6 GHz. Also, several research projects in the telecom sector are using possible spectrum beyond 6 GHz, which may hasten the market's expansion in the near future.

RF Test Equipment End User Insights

Based on End Users, the global RF Test Equipment industry has been segmented into IT & Telecommunications, Aerospace & Defense, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Academic & Research Institutions, Industrial, Medical and others. Consumer Electronics held the largest segment share in 2022. The data transmission rate is anticipated to expand further with the introduction of 5G technology and the future 6G technology, which will raise demand for RF components built into smartphones. In addition, the market for RF test equipment for consumer electronics would benefit from smartphones' rising popularity and the need for high-speed data transmission rates.

RF Test Equipment Regional Insights

By Region, the study provides market insights into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Rest of the World. Asia Pacific RF Test Equipment market accounted for USD 1.8 billion in 2022 and is expected to exhibit a significant CAGR growth during the study period. The area is also anticipated to have the greatest CAGR throughout the projected period. Many of the major reasons influencing the market growth in Asia Pacific include the existence of reputable connectivity solution suppliers in the area, including Huawei (China), MediaTek (Taiwan), and Renesas (Japan). Moreover, China's RF Test Equipment market held the largest market share, and India's RF Test Equipment market was the fastest-growing market in Asia-Pacific.

Further, the major countries studied in the market report are The U.S., Canada, Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, and Brazil.

Figure 3: RF Test Equipment Market SHARE BY REGION 2022 (%)

With the highest CAGR and the largest market share (21.92%), Europe RF Test Equipment market is predicted to grow tremendously throughout the projected period. RF test & measurement equipment sales are being driven by the growing use of wireless networking, 5G cellular networks, and IoT (Internet of Things) in the area. It is used in healthcare, the auto industry, telecommunications and information technology. Further, the German RF Test Equipment market held the largest market share, and the UK RF Test Equipment market was the fastest-growing market in the European Region.

Due to the presence of several instrument and testing tool makers, the North American Region is anticipated to make a significant contribution to the worldwide market. The Region is anticipated to benefit from the high adoption rates of modern cell phones that adhere to contemporary wireless standards. In addition, demand from North American corporations in the communications and consumer electronics sectors may boost market demand. High data traffic in the area and the ubiquity of modular equipment bode well for the area. Due to the widespread use of LTE and LTE-A technologies, the United States stands out in this area as a developed market for RF testing equipment.

RF Test Equipment Key Market Players & Competitive Insights

Leading market players are investing a lot of money in R&D to expand their product portfolios, which will spur further market growth for RF Test Equipment. With significant industry changes, including new product releases, contractual agreements, mergers and acquisitions, increased investments, and collaboration with other organizations, market participants are also undertaking various strategic activities to expand their global presence. To grow and remain in a market that is becoming more and more competitive, RF Test Equipment industry competitors must provide affordable products.

Manufacturing locally to cut operational costs is one of the main business tactics the RF Test Equipment industry uses to serve customers and increase the market sector. The RF Test Equipment industry has recently given medicine some of the most important advantages. The RF Test Equipment markets major players such as Keysight Technologies Inc. (US), Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (US), National Instruments (NI) (US), Yokogawa Electric Corporation (Japan), Siemens (Germany), EXFO Inc. (Canada), Anritsu Corporation (Japan), Giga-Tronics Incorporated (US), Cobham PLC (UK), VIAVI Solutions Inc. (US), Fortive (US), Chroma ATE Inc. (Taiwan), ROHDE&SCHWARZ (Germany), Atlantic Microwave Ltd (UK), B&K Precision Corporation (US), and others are working on expanding the market demand by investing in research and development activities.

International electronics company Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co KG specializes in radiolocation and radio monitoring, radiocommunication, broadcast and media, and electronic test equipment. The Rohde & Schwarz MXO 4 series oscilloscopes, which feature the fastest update rate of more than 4.5 million acquisitions per second, are set to be on sale in September 2022. Four-channel device variations are offered, with bandwidths ranging from 200 MHz to 1.5 GHz.

Also, Nuvasive, Inc. (US) is a medical device company focusing on developing, manufacturing, and selling procedural solutions for spine surgery. The company supports spine surgery through a non-profit organization called the NuVasive Spine Foundation, which is dedicated to facilitating service projects that bring life-changing spine surgery to underprivileged communities worldwide. In February 2022, NuVasive, Inc. acquired Simplify Medical, Inc. (US), which develops simplified artificial cervical discs for Cervical Total Disc Replacement (TDR). The deal was closed at USD 150 million. The acquisition enables NuVasive, Inc. to provide an advanced cervical portfolio to leading surgeons worldwide.

American company Teledyne LeCroy produces oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, and other test tools. Teledyne Technologies presently owns a subsidiary called LeCroy. Teledyne LeCroy, a division of Teledyne Technologies, announced the introduction of the T3 vector network analyzer in January 2020. This device has a bandwidth of 9 KHz to 1.5 GHz. The new gadget is anticipated to improve the company's line of network analyzers.

Key Companies in the RF Test Equipment market include

• Keysight Technologies Inc. (US)

• Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (US)

• National Instruments (NI) (US)

• Yokogawa Electric Corporation (Japan)

• Siemens (Germany)

• EXFO Inc. (Canada)

• Anritsu Corporation (Japan)

• Giga-Tronics Incorporated (US)

• Cobham PLC (UK)

• VIAVI Solutions Inc. (US)

• Fortive (US)

• and Chroma ATE Inc. (Taiwan)

• ROHDE&SCHWARZ (Germany)

• Atlantic Microwave Ltd (UK)

• B&K Precision Corporation (US)

RF Test Equipment Industry Developments

• May 2023: Advanced Test Equipment Corporation (ATEC) announced that it has been named an authorized rental partner for a global leader in test and measurement solutions, Anritsu Company. ATEC provides rentals, sales, and calibration services for electronic test and measurement equipment. This partnership allows ATEC to provide its customers with an even broader range of solutions, helping them meet their testing needs and achieve their goals.


• Jun 2023: Rohde & Schwarz, a market leader in eMTC and NB-IoT testing, announced that it has optimized the R&S CMX500 OBT for IoT testing, enabling it to verify the different RedCap aspects specified in 3GPP 5G Rel.17 for R&D. The solution covers network access restrictions, bandwidth parts (BWP) & BWP switching, power saving, and other protocol signaling procedures. The company has also enhanced both platforms to verify the regular operation of RedCap terminal devices in legacy networks.


• March 2022: Rohde & Schwarz introduced the latest range of RF amplifiers. The company's BBA300 family offers a single amplifier solution to eliminate the need to switch instruments or bands during a test, facilitating testing on automotive and ultrawideband wireless communication radios. The amplifier can meet the requirements of EMC test centers, RF component designers, and product design and validation.


• March 2022: Cohu, Inc., a global leader in back-end semiconductor equipment & services, announced that a leading semiconductor manufacturer in the US has selected its Diamondx platform for testing their product portfolio. This low-cost universal test platform optimizes test parallelism for the entire IoT signal chain, including RF, power management, and microcontroller devices.  


• Feb 2022: Altice Labs announced a partnership with Keysight Technologies, Inc. for the Keysight O-RAN Radio Architect (KORA) solutions that could advance the development of O-RAN equipment and offer certification services that would help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world.


• Keysight's RF signal sources and analyzers (UXA signal analyzer and VXG signal generator) validate the 3GPP and O-RAN performance of the open fronthaul implementation across RF protocol measurement domains.


• August 2022: Anritsu introduced the VectorStar Vector Network Analyzer product line's first single sweep VNA-spectrum analyzer. The frequency range supported by the spectrum analyzer is 70 KHz to 220 GHz. The method is ideal for efficiently testing and confirming active and passive devices.


• June 2022: With the introduction of the 2 Series Mixed Oscilloscope, Tektronix expanded its test and measurement equipment line and can now go easily from the bench to the field and back. The gadget is incredibly tiny, which greatly increases its portability.


• April 2022: The M9484C VXG Vector Signal Generator was introduced by Keysight Technologies and provides enhanced design and validation solutions to support the creation of novel and cutting-edge electronic devices. For wideband, multi-channel mmWave applications, these devices are ideal.

RF Test Equipment Market Segmentation:

RF Test Equipment Form Factor Outlook

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  Portable

  
  


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  Bench-top

  
  


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  Modular

  
  

RF Test Equipment Connectivity Outlook

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  Signal Generators

  
  


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  Oscilloscope

  
  


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  Network analyzers

  
  


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  Spectrum analyzers

  
  

RF Test Equipment Frequency Outlook

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  Less than 1 GHz

  
  


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  Between 1 and 6 GHz

  
  


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  More than 6 GHz

  
  

RF Test Equipment Vertical Outlook

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  Medical

  
  


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  Industrial

  
  


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  IT & Telecommunication

  
  


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  Consumer electronics

  
  


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  Academic & Research institutions

  
  


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  Automotive

  
  


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  Aerospace & Defense

  
  

RF Test Equipment Regional Outlook

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  North America

  
  
  
  
  • US
  
  
  • Canada
  
  
  
  

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  Europe

  
  
  
  
  • Germany
  
  
  • France
  
  
  • UK
  
  
  • Italy
  
  
  • Spain
  
  
  • Rest of Europe
  
  
  
  

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  Asia-Pacific

  
  
  
  
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    China

    
    
  
  
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    Japan

    
    
  
  
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    India

    
    
  
  
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    Australia

    
    
  
  
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    South Korea

    
    
  
  
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    Australia

    
    
  
  
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    Rest of Asia-Pacific

    
    
  
  
  
  


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  Rest of the World

  
  
  
  
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    Middle East

    
    
  
  
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    Africa

    
    
  
  
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    Latin America