The development status of China's data cable industry: the market size reached 1.79 billion US

1. Basic overview of the data cable industry

A data cable is a type of cable used to connect electronic devices, mainly used to transmit data and power. Data cables can connect various electronic devices such as computers, mobile devices, audio equipment, cameras, printers, etc., to achieve the purpose of data communication and charging. There are many interface types for data cables, including Micro USB interface, Type-C interface, Lightning interface, etc., and different interfaces are suitable for different devices.

  2. Analysis of the industrial chain of the data line industry

The upstream of the data line industry chain mainly includes the supply of raw materials, such as conductor materials (such as copper, aluminum, etc.), insulation materials (such as plastics, rubber, etc.), shielding materials, etc. The quality of these raw materials directly affects the performance and quality of the data cable. In addition, the upstream also includes technical support such as production equipment and manufacturing processes, such as production line equipment such as weaving machines and injection molding machines, as well as related technical services and R&D support.

The downstream of the data cable industry chain mainly includes the production of electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets. Data cables are mainly used in data transmission and charging of electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. These devices require data cables to connect to external devices such as power supplies and computers, enabling rapid data transmission and sharing. In addition, with the continuous development of technologies such as the Internet of Things and smart homes, data cables are gradually being used in more fields, such as smart home equipment, industrial automation equipment, etc.

  3. The development status of the data cable industry

Data cables play a crucial role in implementing fast charging technology, which requires chargers with fast charging functions to be compatible with data cables on fast charging protocols. At present, common fast charging protocols on the market include PD fast charging protocol, Qualcomm QC fast charging protocol, OPPOVOOC private fast charging protocol, Huawei FCP fast charging protocol, Xiaomi ChargeTurbo fast charging protocol, etc. In 2021, the Telecom Terminal Industry Association released the "Technical Specifications for Mobile Terminal Fusion Fast Charging", which is expected to unify the fast charging protocol standards and promote the healthy development of the industry.

With the accelerated popularization of mobile smart devices, the penetration of mobile applications into netizens continues to increase, and the scale of mobile phone netizens in our country continues to expand, and the demand for data cables, one of the main accessories of mobile phones, has also increased accordingly. As of December 2023, the number of mobile Internet users in China has reached 1.091 billion, and the proportion of netizens using mobile phones to access the Internet is 99.9%. In the future, under the influence of factors such as the continuous rollout of 5G networks, the declining price of smartphone terminals, and the increasing diversification of mobile application software, the number of mobile phone Internet users in our country will continue to develop steadily and steadily.

In recent years, smartphones have become popular in our country, and smartphones not only require data cables for charging, but are also often used in scenarios such as data transfer, file backup, and device connection, so smartphone users have a continuous and large demand for data cables. In 2023, China's smartphone shipments will be 276 million units, and the popularization and rapid iterative updates of smartphones have directly driven our country's data cable market to prosperity.

Overall, the rapid development of China's economy has promoted the rapid development of communications, computers, consumer electronics and other industries, thereby driving the rapid growth of the data cable market. In 2022, the market size of China's data cable increased to $1.79 billion.

Chart: Market size of China's data cable industry from 2018 to 2022

As an essential supporting product for consumer electronic mobile terminals such as smartphones, tablets, and smart drones, data cables are mainly used for data transmission and charging of electronic products. With the gradual replacement of the traditional MicroUSB Type-B interface, the mainstream interfaces for data transmission and charging of electronic products on the market are divided into two types, one is the Lightning interface used in electronic products sold by Apple, and the other is the Type-C interface used in electronic products sold by other manufacturers such as Huawei.

Due to the many advantages of Type-C interface in data transmission and charging of consumer electronics, more and more countries and regions have begun to choose it as a unified interface for electronic products on sale, and promote the gradual improvement of relevant standards. According to the agreement reached by negotiators in the European Parliament and the Council, starting in the fall of 2024, all portable electronic products sold in the EU, including mobile phones, tablets, headphones, etc., will be uniformly equipped with Type-C interfaces; In January 2022, the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the "Letter on the Reply to the Proposal No. 5080 of the Fourth Meeting of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (ICT, Posts and Telecommunications No. 553)", proposing to continue to promote the formulation of national standards related to charging interfaces and promote the integration and unification of charging interfaces and technologies.

At present, the Type-C interface has basically replaced the Micro USB Type-B interface and has become the mainstream interface for data transmission and charging of electronic products on the Android system. At the same time, electronic products such as laptops, power banks, speakers, cameras, and dash cams are gradually adopting Type-C interfaces as the mainstream interface for data transmission and charging. In the future, as countries continue to promote the construction of unified standards for charging interfaces, the market pattern of Type-C interfaces and Lightning interfaces will change, and Type-C interfaces may become the data transmission and charging interfaces with the highest proportion of use.

In 2023, Apple's new iPhone 15 mobile phone will be equipped with a Type-C interface, further promoting the Type-C interface to become an important connection method between smart devices.

With the increasing variety and quantity of consumer electronics and the trend of unified interfaces for consumer electronics, the demand for data cable products is also rising. After decades of rapid growth, the consumer electronics market has gradually entered a mature stage, and the market penetration rate of traditional consumer electronics products represented by smartphones and tablets has reached a high level, gradually entering the stage of stock replacement, but new consumer electronics such as smart drones and smart homes continue to emerge, driving the consumer electronics market to continue to develop.

The "2023-2028 China Data Cable Industry Supply and Demand Analysis and Development Prospect Research Report" is written by China Research Institute Puhua Industry Research Institute, this report analyzes the supply and demand situation, development status, industry development changes, etc. of the industry, focusing on the analysis of the development status of the industry, how to face the development challenges of the industry, industry development suggestions, industry competitiveness, as well as industry investment analysis and trend forecasting, etc. The report also synthesizes the overall development trends of the industry, and provides reference suggestions and specific solutions for the industry in terms of products.