Telecom equipment maker Sercomm Corp (中磊) expects its annual revenue to top US$1 billion this year, on the back of robust demand from low-power 4G networks in China and the US, and rising demand for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
The growth momentum is continued from last year, during which brisk demand brought its revenue to an all-time high of NT$23.2 billion (US$736 million), with shipments topping 19 million units.
“We feel comfortable about this year’s growth... We expect to see annual growth by the first half [in revenue],” chief executive officer James Wang (王煒) told reporters.
Wang declined to give a detailed forecast. Capital Investment Management (群益投顧) predicted that Sercomm would see revenue growth of more than 21 percent to NT$28.08 billion.
Equipment for broadband, IoT and 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) low-powered radio access nodes, or small cell base stations, will be the three major growth drivers for Sercomm this year, Wang said. Demand will primarily come from China, North America and Europe, he said.
“Broadband gateway demand from North America was very strong last year. We hope the momentum will stay at peak levels this year, with IoT demand providing an additional boost,” Wang said.
In the IoT area, Sercomm, focusing on the smart home segment, supplies Internet protocol cameras, smart meters and sensors. To cope with growing demand, Sercomm plans to boost its IoT capacity in Taiwan by 30 percent this year.
“Small-cell network is no longer a lab thing. We expect small cell networks to be available this year in Taiwan... We also believe China Mobile Ltd (中國移動) will hold an auction to source small cell equipment in the middle of this year,” he said.
Wang said small cell base stations would be an important driving force for Sercomm in the next five years.
Telecom operators are increasingly deploying small cell networks to manage bandwidth and wireless network coverage more economically.
Broadband gateway is Sercomm’s biggest revenue source, making up more than 40 percent of its total revenue last year. Smart home products contributed about 20 percent.
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