Skyworks Solutions had $957 million in fiscal Q4 revenue, more than $100 million above the high end of its guidance, proof it's “driving and benefiting from the rollout of 5G" worldwide, said CEO Liam Griffin on a Monday investor call about the quarter ended Oct. 2. “Recent data points” show how rapidly adoption is “accelerating,” he said. Thirty-eight countries have launched the networks, with more “set to deploy,” he said. About 12% of smartphones shipped this year are “5G-enabled,” with projections of more than 50% by 2023, he said. “The world's leading smartphone manufacturer has just now released its entire lineup of new 5G devices,” said Griffin, obviously referencing Samsung. “Although we are only in the early innings, 5G has arrived.” A large part of the front-end module and other component supplier's 5G demand came from Asia-Pacific smartphone OEM customers, he said. "We have been winning business. We've been expediting products. The demand has been incredible."

Q3 revenue in the communications “end market” at On Semiconductor declined 7% from the 2019 quarter, said CEO Keith Jackson on a Monday investor call (also see Q3 here.) The chipmaker experienced strong growth in its 5G infrastructure sector, but “our smartphone business declined year over year, in part due to geopolitical factors related to a customer,” said Jackson, obviously referencing Huawei. Communications revenue growth in Q4 likely will be flat or down quarter over quarter, “due to an expected revenue decline from customer-specific geopolitical factors,” he said. “In Q3, there certainly was an impact” from the mid-September halt of shipments to Huawei due to the Commerce Department’s tightened export restrictions on the Chinese smartphone OEM, said Jackson. In Q4, until Commerce grants export licenses authorizing the resumption of shipments, “there is no business at all” with Huawei, he said. “They were one of the top customers.” Jackson thinks “there will be more reluctance” next year among Chinese smartphone OEM customers “to accept sole-source positions from U.S.-based companies as a result of the trade tensions” between the U.S. and China: “They’re very wise economic buyers, and they’re going to do the best thing for their company, but they certainly don’t want to be completely reliant on a U.S. supplier.” The Huawei business that On lost shifted quickly to European competitors, he said.

China as a policy won't comment on Tuesday's U.S. election because it's an "internal affair," said a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Friday when asked about remarks by a Joe Biden aide that the Democratic nominee, if elected president, would consult with allies on what to do about the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports. “China's policy on the United States remains highly stable and consistent,” said the spokesperson. “We are committed to developing a China-U.S. relationship featuring non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation.” Biden would seek “collective leverage” against China by bonding with allies to curb Beijing's allegedly unfair trade practices, campaign foreign policy adviser Jeffrey Prescott told Reuters Wednesday. Biden won’t “lock into any premature position before we see exactly what we’re inheriting,” said Prescott when asked if Biden would lift the tariffs unilaterally if elected.

Samsung’s foldable phones are getting very positive reviews from the trade and “actual users,” said a senior executive on a Q3 investor call. Foldables provide “a totally new mobile experience through an innovative form factor, differentiated design and also the multitasking through a larger screen,” said Ben Suh, Samsung senior vice president-investor relations. Samsung expects the foldable phones category “to record high growth in the future,” he said. The category experienced “very solid sales trends” this year, despite the “relatively weak demand” for premium smartphones amid COVID-19, he said. Foldables remain “a relatively small portion” of Samsung’s overall smartphone sales, said Suh. “We are planning to continue to increase our foldable portfolio and to widen the price ranges that we offer” by “leveraging the flexible technology that we have already built over several years,” he said. “We are expecting our foldable phone sales to increase for several years going forward.”

There’s a paradox looming in the 2021 LCD TV supply chain between set makers planning to increase their panel buys and panel makers cutting TV display capacity to reconfigure production lines for in-demand laptop screens, reported Omdia Monday. Top global TV brands are expected to increase their panel buys by 9% over 2020 if they're able to secure supply, it said. “Panel makers are prioritizing their panel supply to their strategic or preferred top tier TV makers who can sell TVs with advanced features at a higher premium, rather than to the low-tier TV makers whose TVs are priced at low value in the market,” said Omdia.

The U.S. and Slovak Republic agreed Friday to work together on 5G security, the State Department said. “5G will enable a vast array of new applications, including the provision of critical services to the public, which will benefit our citizens and our economies,” said a joint declaration: “Increased amounts of data on 5G networks will further interconnect the economies of the world, including the Slovak Republic and the United States, and facilitate cross-border services and commerce.”

HMTX Industries and Jasco Products, first plaintiffs to file in the massive Section 301 litigation seeking to vacate the Lists 3 and 4A tariff rulemakings and get the duties refunded, strongly oppose DOJ’s prolonged briefing format and schedule proposed Monday in a motion for case management procedures (see 2010200020), said Akin Gump in a response (in Pacer) Thursday at the U.S. Court of International Trade. The government proposed the parties not begin to argue the “merits of this dispute” before 2022 or beyond, it said. “Given the ongoing harms to thousands of plaintiffs, among others, that protracted schedule is unacceptable.” The CIT instead should follow the harbor maintenance tax (HMT) litigation as a model by staying all but the HMTX-Jasco complaint and ordering the parties to file “concurrent cross-motions for summary judgment addressing particular issues, including both jurisdictional and merits questions,” said Akin Gump. Adopting the HMT litigation’s cross-motions procedure “will best achieve the aims of resolving the key legal issues in an efficient manner,” it said. “Unnecessarily delaying resolution of this case for additional months or years -- with all the attendant litigation expenses and accruing duties that would entail -- is unwarranted.” Since more than 3,500 importers filed suit, many of whose entries have already liquidated or will liquidate soon, it’s important “to confirm at the outset that the government will stipulate, as it has in other cases, that a refund remedy is available should plaintiffs prevail,” said Akin Gump. “Such relief remains critical to ensuring that these cases are handled efficiently, effectively, and with the least administrative burden possible.” DOJ hasn’t taken a position on refunds and indicated to plaintiffs it won’t do so until a test case is picked. DOJ didn’t respond to questions. DOJ’s motion for case management procedures is likely to face broader opposition, blogged law firm Thompson Hine Wednesday. "This motion is expected to trigger a raft of challenges by plaintiffs’ counsel in all of the Section 301-related cases on such DOJ positions as the composition of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and the designation of appropriate test cases," it said.

The coronavirus is having mixed impacts on one tech company. IRobot anticipates “going back to a world” of 25% U.S. tariffs on Chinese-sourced goods once its exclusion expires Dec. 31, said CEO Colin Angle on a Q3 call Wednesday. The pandemic delayed iRobot’s “original plans” to shift most U.S.-bound production to Malaysia by the end of 2020 to reduce or eliminate its Chinese tariff exposure, instead pushing the move “well into 2021,” he said. The stock closed 13% lower at $83.48, a day after reaching a 52-week high of $98.55. Work and learning from home helped drive 43% Q3 revenue growth, said Angle. “The pandemic has impacted individuals and families in profound ways with the home becoming a primary hub for work, education, exercise, entertainment and more.” IRobot took part in its sixth straight Prime Day event last week, said Angle: “Despite the change in Prime Day from its usual timing in early July, it was a solid event.“ IRobot "is cautiously optimistic for a strong fourth quarter,” said Chief Financial Officer Julie Zeiler. “It remains to be seen how the pandemic, an uncertain economic environment and the shifting of an event like Prime Day from July to mid-October will influence the holiday gift-giving season.” The “incredibly challenging period” forced iRobot to make supply-chain “adjustments” to “keep up with demand,” said Zeiler when asked about a notice on the company’s online store it's experiencing shipping delays. “Given all of the growth, there is occasionally a situation on our website where shipping is delayed,” said Angle. “We have the systems in place to make those types of disruptions very short.”

As part of Swedish limited partnership Polhem Infra's purchase of Swedish telco Telia, Polhem's CSC Global asked for approval of transfer of U.S. fiber network operator Telia Carrier's domestic and international authority under Communications Act Section 214, in an FCC International Bureau application filed Thursday. It said Telia Carrier's customers will continue receiving service under the Telia name at similar terms, rates and conditions in the near term and the purchase won't reduce competition in the U.S. It asked for FCC consent for transfer of Telia's interest in the TAT-14 submarine cable to Polhem.

The Trump administration emphasized a “market-based approach” to ensure U.S. dominance in developing emerging technologies, in a national strategy released Thursday. The National Security Council identified 20 critical technologies, including telecom, semiconductors, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and quantum computing. The market-based approach is preferable to “state-directed models” that “produce waste and disincentivize innovation,” the strategy said. It helps “protect ourselves from unfair competition,” including from China and Russia. Those countries and other “strategic competitors … have adopted deliberate whole-of-government” critical and emerging tech “efforts and are making large and strategic investments to take the lead,” the strategy said. “America’s lead in certain C&ET sectors is declining. The [U.S.] will take meaningful action to reverse this trend.” The strategy includes a focus on improving the U.S. workforce for some emerging tech and increasing the pool of investors to ensure improved R&D. It calls for preventing foreign adversaries like China from unfairly benefiting from U.S. innovation, including by beefing up international intellectual property theft norms and expanding restrictions on exports of some tech to those countries.