Strategies for survival
February is the month for valentines and much InP news, which emerges from the 1Q optoelectronic and telecom conferences and exhibitions. So a quick scan for InP 'news' in early 2005 threw up a dozen contenders from some 36 movers and shakers.
"Avanex announces foundry services." "Quantum dots improve crypto-coms." " T-networks (10Gb/s and 40Gb/s InP optical transmitters) close $5.75m series C financing.""Vitesse makes InP lasers for Eblana on 4" InP fab line." "Agilent and Lumileds introduce high-performance transparent-substrate AlInGaP LED die." "Bookham unveils comprehensive strategy for InP chip development." (Odd man out) "Intel's first single-chip silicon CW laser on SOI (cheaper than InP et al)." "Rockwell Scientific awards its 2005 FAST team (for 2004 InP -HBT technology).""Metrophotonics samples SurePath Triplexer InP monolithically photonic IC.""TriQuint (GaAs and InP) support the WiMAX Forum.""Xindium unveils RF PA (InGaP HBT), develops InP based PAs for next-gen EDGE & WCDMA."
The same search for news on 'InP' and 'markets' however gave eight responses.
These lists energy, utility, optical networks, communication, lighting, metro and long haul, wireless phones, base stations, broadband, process technologies, datacom, defence, medical and industrial markets.
The message, as ever, is fewer markets than players.Volume businesses of light and telecommunications are going to be worth winning, for some. For others, high value, premium and carefully nurtured niche sectors will be the winner's reward.
But the shakeouts that merged players or wiped them off the board are probably still not over. InP game strategies for survival and winning are well worth inspecting.