Telecom operators have sought to expand their businesses by integrating communications, AI, cloud, and IoT services, venturing into a range of fields that benefit from vertically integrated systems such as e-commerce, media streaming, startups, and blockchain. Moreover, Taiwan's three leading telecoms have each pursued their distinct direction in their financial services offerings.
Ericsson Antenna System (EAS) is expanding its manufacturing operations in India, aiming to localize 100% of its passive antenna production for the Indian market by June 2025. The initiative is part of the company's broader supply chain strategy and aligns with India's ongoing 5G rollout.
US-China competition remains fierce despite tariff stalemate, with technology decoupling accelerating behind the scenes. Taiwan's MediaTek may find unexpected opportunities amid this conflict, according to market analysts.
As the US imposes a 46% tariff on Vietnam and a 26% tariff on India, Alphabet executives are reportedly urging Pixel smartphone manufacturers to boost production in India. This shift from Vietnam to India supports the growing US-India trade relationship, which aims for US$500 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.
India's smartphone market experienced a rare decline due to soft demand and high inventory levels. Only modest shipment growth is expected for 2025 due to the indirect impacts of US tariffs and major brands' strategic shift toward premium smartphones.
Alphabet pays Samsung Electronics an "enormous sum of money" every month to preinstall Google generative AI app, Gemini, on its phones and devices, according to court testimony, even though the company's practice of paying for installations has twice been found to violate the law.
Foxconn may build its first northern India plant in Greater Noida as tariff shifts make India-made iPhones cheaper than China-made ones in the US market.
Since the US government opened a 90-day window for reciprocal tariff exemption negotiations, the market widely expects a strong wave of early inventory pull-ins during this period. Semiconductor firms are already bracing for a surge of rush orders. IC design companies report that customers in the server and networking sectors are especially aggressive in restocking.
Recently, Beijing announced a three-year action plan aimed at achieving large-scale 5G applications and industry integration by the end of 2027. The goals include reaching a 100% penetration rate of 5G among individual users, over 75% of the city's network traffic carried by 5G, and 45% industrial adoption, thereby creating a leading global smart city.
The US's recent decision to exempt 20 categories of goods—including notebooks, smartphones, tablets, and processors—from tariffs has sparked a wave of urgent procurement among upstream manufacturers. However, the relief has done little to ease broader concerns among brand operators, who continue to grapple with rising component costs and weakening consumer demand. Industry sources warn that these pressures could lead to significant shifts in smartphone market share across North America in 2025.
US President Donald Trump's rapidly changing tariff policies—particularly his proposed reciprocal tariffs—have disrupted global electronics supply chains that took decades to build, hitting Apple's Southeast Asian network. However, when Trump postponed the application of reciprocal tariffs on countries outside China, it ironically placed Apple at a disadvantage against rivals like Samsung Electronics.
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