The Chinese government has pushed its local factories to resume production and rolled out relief measures to help industries hit by the coronavirus disease, with a heavy emphasis on the 5G sector's role to restore its growth engine.

The server and datacenter sector has been almost immune to the coronavirus, with demand being boosted by remote working and learning, online gaming and shopping in the wake of the pandemic. Server ODMs expect their shipments to pick up...

China's 5G phone market is expected to regain momentum starting the second quarter of 2020, as the Chinese government is exerting all-out efforts to construct its 5G infrastructure and to perfect related 5G communication environments, according to sources from Taiwan's IC supply chain.

Taiwan-based IC distributors are seeing stable demand for chips used in cloud/edge computing, large datacenters, 5G base stations and servers, as consumers turn to services or entertainments digitally in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Taiwan-based GaAs microwave device and solution provider Transcom is developing GaAs- and GaN-based MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) devices for commercial 5G mmWave applications, according to company chairman Chang Chuan-sheng.

While planning to launch an array of 5G devices including handsets to cash in on the commercialization of 5G operations in Taiwan in July, Samsung Electronics is also keen to promote its B2B and other service application solutions in the local market, according to sources at Samsung Taiwan.

Taiwan-based Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) is adopting a three-pronged approach - promoting new business, developing innovative applications and pushing multiple collaborations - as it steps up its 5G deployments, according to company president Chee Ching.

Networking device maker Hitron Technologies will accelerate from mid-April the construction of its new plant in Vietnam looking to complete trial operations and kick of volume production there in the second quarter or third quarter 2020, according to company sources.

Taiwan's top-three telecom operators all have reported decreased revenues for February, as demand for mobile services declined.

Demand for 5G handsets may have been dampened by the quick spread of the coronavirus, but other 5G segments, such as instrastructure deployments, have remained robust enough to help shore up IC backend firms' sales. The outbreak has fueled...

IC backend houses are enjoying stronger demand from 5G infrastructure, server and datacenter segments than the handset sector that is being increasingly hit by the fast spread of the coronavirus, according to industry sources.

Optical transceiver module maker PCL Technologies is accelerating the deployment of production lines at its joint venture in Penang, Malaysia, as production at its plant in China has not yet to resume to full capacity, and demand from clients remains robust, according to company sources.

MediaTek has started ramping up its 5G chip shipments, driving up its revenues for the first two months of 2020 by 25.11% on year to reach NT$30.43 billion (US$1.01 billion), with the sales performance much better than expected despite the coronavirus outbreak, according to industry sources.

Taiwan-based cooling module makers including Power Logic, Sunonwealth Electric Machine and Forcecon Tec all saw their February revenues suffer wider declines both monthly and yearly compared to those of notebook ODMs in the wake of the coronav irus outbreak.

Asustek Computer is facing fierce competition in China's gaming smartphone market in 2020 from China-based Xiaomi and Lenovo, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

Taiwan-based optical communications component makers expect demand momentum for their products for related 5G applications in China to resume soon as the Chinese government has urged an acceleration of 5G deployments in order to push online consumption activities in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak,...

Handset sales in China have plummeted in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, which has hit hard both production and consumer confidence. The Chinese governmet reportedly is mulling measures to rejuvenate the handset market, including offering subsidies...

Qualcomm Technologies has announced its 5G RAN platform (FSM100xx) has been adopted by many manufacturers and cellular infrastructure providers around the world, including Taiwan-based Sercomm.

Networking device maker Accton Technology has announced the appointment of Michael Lee as its senior R&D vice president responsible for all aspects of technology development and R&D strategies that will further strengthen its product development capability.

Digitimes Research has revised downward its 5G smartphone shipment forecast for the second quarter and also all of 2020 in the wake of the coronavirus impact.

The coronavirus outbreak may have created a temporary set in the development of 5G in China, but Digitimes Research believes construction of 5G infrastructure is a long-term bid that that will not be derailed. In fact, Taiwan's semiconductor...

While the cancellation of MWC 2020 and the locked-down management in many cities in China due to the coronavirus outbreak have raised concerns about the development of 5G, the epidemic may end up with limited impacts on the operations of telecom firms as well as the deployments of 5G infrastructure...

Corning has announced it is working with Qualcomm Technologies to develop 5G mmWave infrastructure systems for enterprises and public venues. The 5G systems are designed to combine Qualcomm Technologies' 5G and mmWave technology leadership with Corning's industry-proven small-cell expertise to deliver...

Everyone in the ICT sector had expected the 5G era to get off to a flying start in 2020 when the coronavirus hit. Major players continue to make deployments for 5G, but cannot be sure when the momentum will actually pick up. Now Taiwan-based chip vendor MediaTek,...

TSMC has started reducing its chip capacity support for Huawei, but is still working closely with the China-based vendor in the development for advanced 5nm and 3nm chip solutions, according to industry sources.