Communication module, why is it so popular?

In recent years, with the rise of mobile communication technologies such as 5G, NB-IoT, and RedCap, a communication term has appeared more and more in front of us.

This term is - module.

What is a module

In the ICT industry, the modules we refer to are basically communication modules, which are also called communication modules.

The role of the communication module is, of course, to realize the communication function. It is usually installed inside the terminal device as a core component responsible for communicating with the external network.

Without the module, the terminal is an "isolated island", unable to report data or receive instructions.

In addition to communication modules, we often hear about communication chips. Many people will ask: Are communication modules and communication chips the same thing? If not, what is the relationship between them?

Modules and chips are not the same thing.

The chip is a universal basic platform. The module is a standard part formed after customization and integration based on the chip platform and targeting the needs and characteristics of various industries.

With the module, industry customers can integrate it into their own products to form a complete machine and deliver it to users.

Classification and structure of modules

There are many ways to classify modules in the industry.

First, they are classified according to the standard, such as 4G module, 5G module, RedCap module, etc.

Secondly, it is classified according to regions, such as global version, European version, Asia-Pacific version, Chinese version, etc.

Furthermore, they are classified according to the packaging method, such as M.2, LCC, MiniPCIe, LGA, and LGA+LCC.

Let's take the Fibocom module package as an example. After disassembling a module, we can see the internal structure as follows:

As shown in the figure, the wireless communication module is a modular component that integrates the main chip, RF, storage, power supply, functional interface, etc. on a circuit board.

The primary task of the main chip is to complete baseband processing, that is, baseband signal conversion (encoding/decoding), channel encryption, signal modulation and other functions. The role of the radio frequency is to achieve transmission signal amplification, channel noise filtering, transceiver antenna control, etc. They are the core of the module.

Challenges of module development

The module is a product with high technological content. Its research and development process is far more complicated than we imagined and can be said to be full of challenges.

First of all, launching a module product requires going through multiple stages, including demand analysis, software and hardware design, development, testing, certification, and production. This requires module manufacturers to have a complete R&D and manufacturing system, as well as strong R&D project management capabilities.

Secondly, from a professional perspective, modules involve professional fields such as signal processing, electronic technology, and communication technology, which require R&D personnel to have extremely high professional standards. They need to have a deep understanding of multiple communication technology standards and underlying protocols, and fully master the knowledge of micro-operating systems, embedded hardware and software, and application platform software.

Take RF design as an example. Platform chips usually only complete baseband functions. Other RF circuits, especially power amplification, filtering, electromagnetic compatibility, RF switching, antenna tuning, etc., need to be developed by module manufacturers. The technical difficulty is very high.

Compatibility testing is also a technical difficulty. Automated compatibility testing for multiple frequency bands is a necessary prerequisite for ensuring compatibility with global network operators. Professional module manufacturers can discover some interference problems in advance and solve them in a timely manner.

Third, when developing modules, one must have a full understanding of the industry scenarios.

Modules are used in thousands of industries and their application scenarios are very complex. Module manufacturers must have a full understanding of different industries, grasp the needs of industry customers, the characteristics of business scenarios, and be familiar with industry standard requirements in order to develop suitable module products.

If there are no modules provided by module manufacturers, equipment manufacturers will directly develop based on chips. This means:

• They must recruit more communications professionals to deeply understand and learn the protocols.
• They have to purchase a large number of expensive instruments and equipment and build a professional experimental environment.
• They have to spend a lot of time and energy on testing and certification of communication technologies.

This will result in higher costs, longer development cycles, and affect the market competitiveness of the product.

For chip manufacturers, it is not appropriate to directly provide modules. They also need to learn the scenario requirements of various industries and invest more resources for adaptation, which will greatly increase costs and work complexity.

With the modules provided by module manufacturers, all of this has been simplified. Equipment manufacturers can launch products faster, more conveniently, and at a lower cost, and chip manufacturers do not need to divert more energy to research the industry. This is very beneficial to the development of the entire industry.

Technology Trends of Modules

In recent years, with the continuous popularization of 5G, the entire society is accelerating towards the direction of "Internet of Everything".

In various vertical industries such as industrial manufacturing, transportation and logistics, ports and mines, energy and electricity, medical education, smart home, etc., we can see that many traditional wired terminals have become wireless with the help of communication technologies such as 5G, NB-IoT, LTE Cat.1, and Wi-Fi 6.

Various new digital application scenarios have emerged, and the empowerment of traditional industries by digital technology has also been greatly accelerated.

It can be said that this small module has made an indispensable contribution to the digitalization of the industry and the digital economy.

Looking to the future, what new technological trends will the development of modules have?

With this question, Xiaozaojun consulted the technical experts of Fibocom, the industry-leading module manufacturer.

They believe that the entire module industry has shown two significant development trends.

The first trend is the accelerated empowerment of scenarios by technology.

New communication technologies continue to emerge. Some not-so-new scenarios have become more dynamic with the empowerment of new technologies.

The most typical example is FWA (Fixed Wireless Access).

FWA is based on CPE equipment, obtains signals through mobile communication base stations, converts them into Wi-Fi and wired signals, and provides broadband access services to users. It avoids cumbersome ground line construction, shortens construction period, and saves costs. It is a way to help users quickly obtain network connections.

FWA services have actually been around for a long time, but their development has been tepid. After the emergence of 5G, it was quickly applied to FWA services with its high bandwidth, low latency, and high reliability, and achieved very good results.

Fibocom was the first to see the market opportunities of "5G+FWA" and made precise layout.

They conducted in-depth exploration of 5G FWA cutting-edge technologies (cutting-edge cellular communication technologies such as 8Rx, 3Tx, FDD PC2, and software service platforms such as RDK-B, prplOS, and OpenSync), and provided customers with cellular + Wi-Fi integrated solutions to help customers reduce terminal R&D costs and quickly enter key markets.

They also proposed plug-and-play FWA middleware and diversified 5G FWA product architecture to help customers flexibly meet the needs of operators in various regions around the world.

Fibocom's 5G FWA modules have formed a professional and complete product matrix and system solution, which can be combined with Wi-Fi chips to form an overall solution to fully meet FWA application needs.

Fibocom 5G CPE indoor unit module

In addition to traditional 5G, RedCap, which came with the 3GPP R17 standard, also provides a new option for FWA scenarios.

RedCap has been appropriately streamlined based on traditional 5G, achieving a perfect balance between cost and performance while maintaining the basic functional characteristics of 5G.

RedCap-based FWA can achieve smaller size, lower power consumption, and significantly reduced costs. For many users, this is exactly what they need.

In 2024, the much-anticipated 3GPP R18 standard will be frozen, and we will enter the 5G-Advanced (5.5G) era. 10G downlink, 1G uplink, and RedCap evolution will further enhance FWA's scenario capabilities and promote this application towards wider commercial use.

The second trend is the integration of AI and modules.

In the past year, AIGC models represented by ChatGPT have become popular on the Internet. All industries are actively embracing AI.

The module industry is actually the same.

In the past, modules were considered as connectivity tools, mainly for achieving network connectivity.

Now, with the transformation of the smart IoT industry, the migration of computing power from the cloud to the edge has become a trend. Now, many IoT chips are equipped with more powerful AI computing power, which makes it possible for AI computing power to transition from the cloud to the edge, providing more options for hardware equipment providers.

Local computing of data can not only greatly save bandwidth, but also significantly reduce latency. In terms of data security, local computing is also more advantageous than cloud computing.

Based on this background, Fibocom has invested a lot of resources in the research and development of AI smart modules, and its products include SC126, SC138 and SC171.

These modules can be applied to smart healthcare, smart retail, smart conferencing, smart logistics and other fields, giving terminals AI capabilities such as machine vision and improving the work efficiency of the entire industry.

Fibocom AI Smart Module

Conclusion

According to IoT Analytics, the number of global IoT connections will grow from 11.7 billion in 2020 to 30.9 billion in 2025.

The market space is huge, but the competition is equally fierce. How can we win in the fierce competition?

The key lies in two words - focus.

As we said before, modules are an industry-oriented business. With so many industries and so many application scenarios, module manufacturers may not be able to build core advantages and eventually get lost in price wars if they cannot focus on their business.

The so-called "focus" is industry focus. Just like Fibocom focuses on a few potential directions, deeply cultivates technology, understands needs, and conducts targeted development. In this way, it can help customers launch products better and gain value from them.

On the basis of focusing, standardization should be achieved as soon as possible. Modules serve the industry and are customizable. The more customized the sub-sectors are, the more important it is to become a standard in advance. Once it becomes an industry standard, the market position will be stable, and it will be able to lead the industry to follow and become a leader.

The wave of digitalization is intensifying, and the development of the module industry will enter a new stage. Will there be new technological trends? Will the module industry landscape change?

Let time tell us the answer.