Wireless comms wait for new battery technology

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team May 17, 2007

Report predicts slow worldwide battery market demand, growing at an average of 4.7% per year until 2010.

Strategy Analytics forecasts slow worldwide battery market demand at an average of 4.7% per year until 2010, in the report "Cellphone battery technology issues and market forecast".

The "energy gap" between cellular handset requirements and battery limitations determine what and how new services can be introduced in the mobile market.

It is difficult to fulfil the energy demand that has been created by an insatiable wireless communication industry.

Strategy Analytics concludes that the short term solution to fight the energy gap remains lithium batteries.

The ever-increasing demand placed on cellphone batteries is spawning a number of alternatives, including solar, kinetic and fuel cell technologies.

Although small fuel cells may offer good long term prospects, they are still a few years away from commercialisation on a large scale.

"With a slow, 8% improvement in battery performance each year the cellphone industry faces a problem", says Stuart Robinson, Director, Handset Component Technologies.

"The cellular industry is desperately seeking for solutions to reduce the energy gap", adds Mehar Zulfikar, Analyst, Handset Component Technologies.

"In the short-term this is likely to come from lithium sulphur or silver zinc rechargeable batteries", she adds.