MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Indium phosphide (InP) optoelectronic devices (e.g. laser diodes and detectors) have been in widespread use for more than 20 years, primarily in fiber optic telecommunications and data communications networks, and a large market ($2.6 billion in 2001) has developed for such devices. Although InP-based electronic devices have been the subjects of research for many years, they are only now emerging from the laboratory into the marketplace. In recent years, the pace of R&D on InP electronic devices has accelerated in anticipation of their meeting the demanding requirements for the next generation of communications systems, for example 40 Gb/s fiber optic networks and 2.5G and 3G mobile telephone handsets. The current high level of interest in InP electronics may be understood in terms of the number of organizations working in the field. There are nearly 130 companies and over 100 universities and research centers worldwide with activities related to InP electronics. To address this growing interest in InP, market research firm Strategies Unlimited has published a report entitled Indium Phosphide Electronics 2002 -- Technology Status, Applications and Market Forecasts. The report delivers a comprehensive assessment of the status of InP electronics technology, reviews the activities of the various suppliers poised to enter the market, identifies major applications, and provides market forecasts through 2006. InP-based electronic devices such as HBTs (heterojunction bipolar transistors) and HEMTs (high electron mobility transistors) have achieved unprecedented performance relative to competing material systems such as GaAs and SiGe. Functions for which InP devices are eminently suited include power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, mux/demux, clock data recovery, laser drivers, and OEICs, among many others. Although a number of issues remain to be solved before large-scale manufacturing of InP devices can be carried out, it seems clear that over the next five years these devices will successfully penetrate a number of applications for which their performance is well-matched. The most likely applications for InP electronic devices in the coming years include chip sets for 40 Gb/s optical communications systems, receiver OEICs for 10 Gb/s optical communications systems, power amplifiers for 2.5G and 3G mobile telephone handsets, and MMICs for millimeter-wave (greater than 18 GHz) radios used in mobile telephone backhaul equipment and broadband wireless access. Other applications include satellite receivers, millimeter-wave radar, and test and measurement equipment. Overall, Strategies Unlimited forecasts that the market for InP-based electronic components will exceed $0.5 billion in 2006, and has the potential to reach several billion dollars within a decade. Strategies Unlimited