The production value of Taiwan’s communications sector is expected to fall 4 percent year-on-year to NT$2.96 trillion (US$98.28 billion) this year, with smartphones and other mobile devices accounting for 64 percent of the total output, the Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC, 產業情報研究所) said on Thursday.
Taiwanese smartphone shipments are forecast to decline 6.9 percent year-on-year to 330 million units this year, while smartphone production value is expected to decline 6.7 percent to NT$1.9 trillion, the institute said.
Taiwanese makers shipped about 72 million smartphones during the first quarter, down 35.5 percent from the previous quarter, the institute said.
The institute attributed the decline to lower-than-expected shipments of Apple Inc’s iPhone 7 models and a lack of new flagship model launches by Taiwanese smartphone brands .
Meanwhile, the shipments and output value of Taiwan’s wireless communications sector are expected to grow 6.1 percent and 0.8 percent respectively this year, due to increasing demand for mesh Wi-Fi devices and the Internet of Things, and the expected release of new iPhone models, the institute said.
Set-top box production is forecast to fall 5.1 percent year-on-year to NT$138.1 billion this year, because of increased shipments of lower-cost models, the institute said.
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