Demand for high multilayer PCB products for the production of 400G switches for 5G networks in China is expected to emerge in 2020 when China Mobile starts switching its non-standalone (NSA) 5G networks to SA ones, according to industry sources.
Taiwan-based CCL makers Iteq and Elite Materials (EMC) and PCB suppliers HannStar Board and Gold Circuit Electronics have been developing related products for high-end switches. The number of layers of PCBs for the production of 400G switches will increase to 36, with their prices to be over 60% higher than those for 100G switches.