Taiwan-based flexible PCB specialists Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect will both see revenues generated from antenna modules shipments for Apple devices grow substantially in 2021, according to industry sources.

Zhen Ding has estimated its revenue ratio for flexible antenna modules will grow to a double-digit level in 2021 as it has also joined the supply chain for high-end LCP (liquid crystal polymer) antenna solutions for iPhones after starting with shipments of such solutions for Apple Watch products, the sources said.

Flexium, already a supplier of MPI (modified polyimide) antenna modules for Apple devices, is also set to ship LCP antenna boards for new iPhones in the second half of the year. The company has readied new capacity for antenna boards and is expected to expand antenna business to over 25% of its revenues in 2021, the sources continued.

Apple is increasingly reliant on Zhen Ding and Flexium for the supply of MPI and LCP antenna modules for iPhone, Apple Watch, MacBook and iPad applications, as both partners continue to lead in production scale, technology, yield rates and cost control and their Japanese peers have shifted business focus to other niche applications, the sources said. Both makers are expected to snatch more orders from the US vendor in competition with Japan's Murata and China's DSBJ, the sources added.

LCP and MPI flexible boards involve high layer counts and great processing difficulty, and will provide higher ASP and profitability for suppliers, the sources said.