News
EL SEGUNDO, CA — Global shipments of mobile handsets equipped with GPS capability are expected to more than quadruple from 2006 to 2011 due to the U.S. government’s mandate for Emergency 911 capability as well as wireless operators’ initiatives to offer location-based services (LBSs), according to iSuppli Corp.
GPS-equipped mobile handset shipments will increase to 444 million units by 2011, rising from 109.6 million units in 2006. By 2011, 29.6% of all mobile phones shipped will have GPS capability, up from 11.1% in 2006.
“Besides cameras, multimedia capabilities and connectivity solutions, mobile-handset OEMs increasingly are investigating the integration of GPS functionality in mobile devices as a value-added product differentiator,” said Tina Teng, analyst, wireless communications at iSuppli. “Wireless carriers are looking at introducing various new GPS-based, revenue-generating services to increase average revenue per user.”
Such LBSs are the key services that could drive up ARPUs. LBSs include a broad range of value-added services that incorporate user location pinpointed by satellites or other tools with location databases. The most common services are user location, turn-by-turn navigation, location search, tracking, information services and social networking.
E911 mandates also are driving the expansion of the GPS-enabled handset market in the U.S. The U.S. FCC in 1996 issued a report that requires all operators to precisely locate the position of wireless callers making emergency 911 calls. The regulation was implemented in three phases: Phases 0, I and II. Phase II of the E911 implementation requires all operators to deliver specific latitude and longitude information of the caller, also known as Automatic Location Identification (ALI). This can be accomplished using a GPS-enabled mobile handset.
The U.S. and South Korea are expected to be the leading regions for GPS-enabled mobile handsets. Europe will be the next largest GPS-enabled handset market as GPS functionality penetrates into smart phones.
GPS-equipped mobile handset shipments will increase to 444 million units by 2011, rising from 109.6 million units in 2006. By 2011, 29.6% of all mobile phones shipped will have GPS capability, up from 11.1% in 2006.
“Besides cameras, multimedia capabilities and connectivity solutions, mobile-handset OEMs increasingly are investigating the integration of GPS functionality in mobile devices as a value-added product differentiator,” said Tina Teng, analyst, wireless communications at iSuppli. “Wireless carriers are looking at introducing various new GPS-based, revenue-generating services to increase average revenue per user.”
Such LBSs are the key services that could drive up ARPUs. LBSs include a broad range of value-added services that incorporate user location pinpointed by satellites or other tools with location databases. The most common services are user location, turn-by-turn navigation, location search, tracking, information services and social networking.
E911 mandates also are driving the expansion of the GPS-enabled handset market in the U.S. The U.S. FCC in 1996 issued a report that requires all operators to precisely locate the position of wireless callers making emergency 911 calls. The regulation was implemented in three phases: Phases 0, I and II. Phase II of the E911 implementation requires all operators to deliver specific latitude and longitude information of the caller, also known as Automatic Location Identification (ALI). This can be accomplished using a GPS-enabled mobile handset.
The U.S. and South Korea are expected to be the leading regions for GPS-enabled mobile handsets. Europe will be the next largest GPS-enabled handset market as GPS functionality penetrates into smart phones.
ST. LOUIS -- EMS provider LaBarge Inc. reported fiscal first-quarter net earnings rose 5% sequentially on a 19% jump in net sales.
For the period ended Sept. 30, net profits were $2.5 million on sales of $59.2 million.
Gross margin was 19.2%, up from 18% in the fourth quarter but down from 21.4% last year.
Net cash from operations was $5.1 million, up from $1.04 million in the fourth quarter and down from $10.4 million a year ago.
Bookings were extremely strong, exceeding $100 million, a record for the company, on demand from the defense, natural resources and industrial sectors. Backlogs at Sept. 30 were $245.5 million, also a record and up 19% from July 1 and 16% from last year.
Chief executive and president Craig LaBarge said, “LaBarge’s long-term business outlook remains very positive based on the strength of our current backlog and a healthy pipeline of new business opportunities. We expect second-quarter sales and earnings will compare favorably to this year’s first-quarter results. Further, we expect our improving mix of business to drive further gross margin improvement in the second half of the fiscal year. We expect fiscal 2008 to be another record year.
For the period ended Sept. 30, net profits were $2.5 million on sales of $59.2 million.
Gross margin was 19.2%, up from 18% in the fourth quarter but down from 21.4% last year.
Net cash from operations was $5.1 million, up from $1.04 million in the fourth quarter and down from $10.4 million a year ago.
Bookings were extremely strong, exceeding $100 million, a record for the company, on demand from the defense, natural resources and industrial sectors. Backlogs at Sept. 30 were $245.5 million, also a record and up 19% from July 1 and 16% from last year.
Chief executive and president Craig LaBarge said, “LaBarge’s long-term business outlook remains very positive based on the strength of our current backlog and a healthy pipeline of new business opportunities. We expect second-quarter sales and earnings will compare favorably to this year’s first-quarter results. Further, we expect our improving mix of business to drive further gross margin improvement in the second half of the fiscal year. We expect fiscal 2008 to be another record year.
ATLANTA – Circuits Assembly seeks participants for its annual Service Excellence Awards for EMS providers and electronics assembly equipment, material and software suppliers. Entries are now being accepted; the deadline to enter is Nov. 20.
SAN JOSE — Now that its merger with Solectron is complete, how many plants will Flextronics close, and where?
The world's second-largest EMS company could shutter as many as 43 plants, totaling some 8.3 million sq. ft., says one Wall Street analyst.
MANKATO, MN – EMS provider and ODM Winland Electronics has received purchase orders and extensions for the next year totaling approximately $11.6 million.
The orders include a $5.6 million order extension from one of the company's larger customers; a new medical product design project, and a commitment from another client for 12-months continuation of business valued at approximately $5 million.
EL SEGUNDO, CA – If you thought the 32" plasma display panel had been relegated to the annals of consumer electronics history, think again, iSuppli Corp. says.
In the second quarter, LG Electronics brought the 32" VGA-resolution PDP back to meet rising demand spurred by constrained supplies of LCD-TV panels of the same size. The reintroduction of the 32" size comes as a shift in direction for the PDP market, which has been focusing on large 40" to 44" and 50" to 59" panels, says the research firm.
iSuppli forecasts the global 34" and smaller PDP market will grow to 485,000 units by 2011, up from 400,000 units shipped in 2007. (No units were shipped in 2006.) While this volume and growth are not huge, they are enough to justify the market reintroduction by LG Electronics. The other panel makers are likely to follow should LG succeed, iSuppli believes.
Plunging prices are making PDPs more competitive at the 32" size. The average selling price for PDP panels sized 34" and smaller will decline to $124 by 2011, down from $215 in 2007. The ASP for 2006 is not available, given that PDP vendors didn’t sell any panels at the 34" and smaller size.
However, the PDP suppliers now face the same obstacle they did when the 32" PDP was in vogue in the 2004/2005 time frame: The VGA resolution of such panels delivers a far lower picture quality than that of a same-sized LCD, says iSuppli.
Despite this, LG’s gambit is already showing some success in the Chinese market thanks to the attractive price point.
While PDP panels are making a return in a size long thought dead, plasma systems actually are enjoying sales growth in the business market. One of the biggest reasons for this growth is that the declining ASP of PDPs makes them compelling for the conference room and education markets. A growing number of PDP displays are being sold as replacements for projectors in conference rooms, for corporate training rooms and lecture halls to accommodate a larger number of audience members, according to iSuppli.
The hospitality industry and those who maintain signage in indoor arenas also are taking advantage of the lower prices to upgrade picture quality and capitalize on plasma’s appealing form factor.
Emerging uses arising for plasma systems include rental and staging markets; video walls, using 84" and larger PDPs; transportation, financial exchanges and control rooms.
Affordable pricing and an attractive form factor also are reasons why PDP system sales are still growing in the consumer market, although at a far more moderate pace than LCDs. The 50" PDPs are available for less than $2,000, and 42" inch models can be bought for $1,000 to $1,500, says iSuppli. The pricing factor has bolstered PDP sales, despite the recent price reductions and higher resolutions for LCDs.
In the second quarter, LG Electronics brought the 32" VGA-resolution PDP back to meet rising demand spurred by constrained supplies of LCD-TV panels of the same size. The reintroduction of the 32" size comes as a shift in direction for the PDP market, which has been focusing on large 40" to 44" and 50" to 59" panels, says the research firm.
iSuppli forecasts the global 34" and smaller PDP market will grow to 485,000 units by 2011, up from 400,000 units shipped in 2007. (No units were shipped in 2006.) While this volume and growth are not huge, they are enough to justify the market reintroduction by LG Electronics. The other panel makers are likely to follow should LG succeed, iSuppli believes.
Plunging prices are making PDPs more competitive at the 32" size. The average selling price for PDP panels sized 34" and smaller will decline to $124 by 2011, down from $215 in 2007. The ASP for 2006 is not available, given that PDP vendors didn’t sell any panels at the 34" and smaller size.
However, the PDP suppliers now face the same obstacle they did when the 32" PDP was in vogue in the 2004/2005 time frame: The VGA resolution of such panels delivers a far lower picture quality than that of a same-sized LCD, says iSuppli.
Despite this, LG’s gambit is already showing some success in the Chinese market thanks to the attractive price point.
While PDP panels are making a return in a size long thought dead, plasma systems actually are enjoying sales growth in the business market. One of the biggest reasons for this growth is that the declining ASP of PDPs makes them compelling for the conference room and education markets. A growing number of PDP displays are being sold as replacements for projectors in conference rooms, for corporate training rooms and lecture halls to accommodate a larger number of audience members, according to iSuppli.
The hospitality industry and those who maintain signage in indoor arenas also are taking advantage of the lower prices to upgrade picture quality and capitalize on plasma’s appealing form factor.
Emerging uses arising for plasma systems include rental and staging markets; video walls, using 84" and larger PDPs; transportation, financial exchanges and control rooms.
Affordable pricing and an attractive form factor also are reasons why PDP system sales are still growing in the consumer market, although at a far more moderate pace than LCDs. The 50" PDPs are available for less than $2,000, and 42" inch models can be bought for $1,000 to $1,500, says iSuppli. The pricing factor has bolstered PDP sales, despite the recent price reductions and higher resolutions for LCDs.
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