News and Information

　　Mobile phone connectors are important electronic components in mobile phones. Their quality directly affects the quality and reliability of the mobile phone. "Although there are no specific statistics, we believe that the main after-sales quality problems of mobile phones are related to connectors/interconnections." said Xu John, business director of TE Connectivity AMP Ltd.

　　The types of connectors used in mobile phones vary slightly depending on the product, with an average of 5-9 connectors. Product types can be divided into internal FPC connectors and board-to-board connectors, external I/O connectors, and battery and SIM card connectors, etc. The price of these connectors ranges from $0.5 to $2.2, averaging $0.7. Compared to the approximately $50 cost of raw materials for a mobile phone, this seems insignificant.

　　Technology Trends: High Density, Small Pitch, Standardization

　　Because the finished products using connectors are characterized by miniaturization, thinness, and high performance, this has also promoted the development of connector products towards miniaturization and small pitch.

　　FPC connectors are used to connect the LCD screen to the driver circuit (PCB). Currently, 0.5mm products are mainly used, and 0.3mm products have emerged. With the recent trend of integrating LCD drivers into LCD devices, the number of FPC pins will decrease accordingly, and related products have already appeared on the market. In the longer term, FPC connectors are expected to be integrated with other mobile phone components and integrated into the frame of the mobile phone or its LCD module. The development trend of board-to-board connectors in mobile phones is that the pin spacing and height are getting smaller and smaller. Currently, 0.5mm pitch is mainly used, and it will soon develop to 0.4mm or even smaller.

　　I/O connectors are one of the important input and output channels in mobile phones, including power and signal connections. Size reduction and product standardization will be the main directions for future development. Xu John said that currently, the product specifications are still a "contested" situation, with inconsistent standards, and some large manufacturers use their own proprietary designs. Currently, circular and MiniUSB connectors are more commonly used. In the future, it is expected that a unified industry standard will be established. Mobile phone manufacturers such as Nokia and SEMC have begun to take substantial steps, and a standard for I/O connectors for W-CDMA products has already emerged in the Japanese market.

　　SIM card connectors are mainly 6p, but there are also 8p and 5p products. Future development will mainly focus on improvements in the SIM card locking mechanism and thickness, achieving an ultra-low thickness of 0.50mm and a more convenient SIM card locking method and anti-misinsertion function. Battery connectors can be divided into two types: communication power supply connection and mobile phone memory design power connection. The former is an essential device, while the latter depends on the product design. Generally, a 2p connector is used. The technological trend of battery connectors mainly focuses on the following issues: how to maintain good contact and reduce impedance, and how to eliminate the influence of vibration or shock.

　　In terms of cable connection, it can be divided into power cord connectors and signal cord connectors. One end of the power cord connector is connected to the I/O interface connector, and the other end is directly connected to the power supply; one end of the signal cord connector is connected to the I/O interface connector, and the other end is directly connected to the headset or hands-free headset. In addition to the above products, there are also two-in-one products that combine power and signal in the same connector.

　　Considering the usage characteristics of mobile phones, the design of mobile phone connectors must consider vibration and shock problems. In addition, the coordination between the entire mobile phone frame structure and individual connectors must also be considered. For example, the reliability of the SIM card connector is related to the mobile phone frame and structure that fixes the SIM card. The increasing richness of mobile phone applications has put stringent requirements on the space occupied by connectors, while also requiring an increasing number of pins, which has increased the difficulty for engineers' design.

　　Xu John said that for vibration and shock, a current solution is to use compression technology to replace SMT soldering, or add pads to prevent damage to the PCB and solder joints. For mobile phones with vibration functions and loose structures, spring pin (Pogo-pin) battery connectors are also a good solution. Increasing effective contacts (i.e., dual contacts, similar to current popular laptop battery connectors) is another technology to solve this problem.

　　In addition, with the increase in mobile phone applications, various external storage devices will need to be connected, such as memory sticks and SD memory sticks. They must be used with corresponding new connectors, which is a development trend. Xiao Yi, marketing manager of Amphenol China, said: "The development trend of mobile phone connectors is basically to meet the requirements of mobile phone multi-functionality. The future development, first is standardization, because it needs to be connected to some mobile storage devices, such as memory sticks, mobile hard drives, etc., so there must be a specification protocol, that is, interchangeability and compatibility. Second is transmission speed and anti-interference ability. The signal transmission speed is getting faster and faster, and better shielding is required."

　　Xu John also introduced another new technology for mobile phone connectors, the company's unique modular interconnect device (MID) technology, which can use plastic to produce connectors and antennas through special plating technology. "Through MID technology, we can produce high-speed connectors and antennas and reduce the total weight of mobile phones." he said.

　　Market Trend: Supply and Demand Balance, Price Stability

　　According to Bishop & Associates, the global mobile phone connector market will grow from approximately $398 million in 1999 to approximately $729 million in 2003, with a compound annual growth rate of 16.10% from 1997 to 2003. Due to the rapid development of the mobile communication industry, the market demand for mobile phones is booming, which has also driven the continuous growth of market demand for connectors as important accessories for mobile phones. The mobile phone connector industry is still expected to have a compound annual growth rate of over 16%. As for mobile phone connectors, the current market value of connector components is relatively high, while the future growth potential of stacked connectors, SIM connectors, and connectors that can be assembled using SMT is higher.

　　In addition, due to the continuous decline in mobile phone prices, the supply of mobile phone components has also moved towards simplified design and reduced number of components. Currently, the proportion of FPC connectors used is about half of all mobile phone connectors, while the demand for board-to-board connectors varies depending on the product. Currently, some mobile phone products do not use board-to-board connectors. Xu John said that the price of mobile phone connectors should remain stable, while Guan Shouhua, business manager of FCI Hong Kong Co., Ltd., said: "The price of mature products in mobile phone connectors will gradually decrease, approaching market demand." Table 4: Distribution of mobile phone connector manufacturers in Taiwan in mainland China production bases.

　　"Under the current market conditions, the supply and demand of connectors are very balanced. However, due to the unpredictable market and the fact that existing production capacity may not be able to meet sudden demand growth, we recommend that customers maintain close contact with us or other connector suppliers to inform them of their forecasts and plans to ensure timely support in the event of a significant increase in market demand. In addition, we recommend that customers cooperate with strong companies to ensure continued support." said Xu John.

　　Regarding customer selection of mobile phone connector suppliers, Guan Shouhua said: "When choosing FFC/FPC and board-to-board connectors, customers need to understand the supplier's factory location and production capacity. The closer the factory and the larger the production capacity, the lower the cost. If choosing I/O connectors, since I/O connectors are associated with accessories such as chargers, and self-designing will affect the overall cost, it is best to choose existing I/O connectors and make minor modifications to the pin count, etc. This can save investment costs and also create opportunities in the accessories market."

　　Strong Demand for Mobile Phone Connectors in China

　　The rapid growth in China's mobile phone production in recent years has driven a rapid demand for mobile phone connectors (see Tables 7 and 8). In 2002, China's mobile phone production reached 131 million units, a significant increase of 50.3% compared to 2001. The sales of mobile phone connectors that year reached 1.35 billion yuan, with a sales volume of 860 million units. It is estimated that the demand for mobile phone connectors in 2003 will reach 1.43 billion yuan and 930 million units. Among mobile phone connectors, battery connectors, SIM card connectors, and FPC connectors have the largest demand, accounting for about 50% of the total demand.

　　The main suppliers to the domestic Chinese mobile phone connector market are connector manufacturers from Taiwan, most of whom have already set up factories in mainland China to produce products. Given the continued development potential of the mobile phone industry, nearly 10 Taiwanese companies have already entered the mobile phone connector production industry. In terms of company size, most are medium-sized connector manufacturers with capital of NT$2-10 billion and annual revenue exceeding NT$5 billion. Table 9 shows Taiwanese mobile phone connector manufacturers with production bases in mainland China.

　　Currently, mobile phone connectors in the Chinese domestic market are mainly products from Taiwan and US manufacturers. Taiwanese manufacturers, primarily represented by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., have invested in factories in Shenzhen and Beijing, supplying connector products to mobile phone manufacturers in these cities. Global leading connector manufacturers such as TE Connectivity, Amphenol, and Molex have all established product processing bases in mainland China. Their mobile phone connector products are sold domestically in addition to being exported. They have good cooperative relationships with most mobile phone manufacturers, understanding the latest market demands and continuously investing to meet market and customer needs.

　　Due to the relatively low production level of high-end mobile phone connectors domestically, no domestic companies can yet supply large quantities of connectors for mobile phones. Sichuan Huafeng Group Co., Ltd. is a mobile phone surface mount connector R&D and production enterprise designated by the Ministry of Information Industry, and its products have been supplied in batches, but the current market share is not high. Industry insiders say that with the huge market driving force and government support, domestic manufacturers will surely occupy a place in the mobile phone connector field.