$IQE earnings in 3 days. No one realises this company is quietly frontrunning the hidden layer of the 6G capex build-out
" $NVDA and Global Telecom Leaders Commit to Build 6G on Open and Secure AI-Native Platforms "
6G is the next big telco capex cycle and everyone else seems to be focusing on Physical AI.
The supply chain
- Tier 4 Operators: $BT, $DT , $TMUS , $SKM
- Tier 3 OEMs: $NOK, $ERIC, Samsung Networks
- Tier 2 Chips: $MTSI, $QRVO, $LITE
- Tier 1 Wafers: $IQE
Why IQE is the biggest Photonics beneficary of 6G
> IQE manufactures epi wafers for all four of the III-V families (GaAs, InP, GaN, and GaSb), with both MOCVD and MBE capabilities.
> That breadth matters here because the 6G frontend doesn't use one material, it uses several layered together, and IQE is the only independent supplier that can sell into all of them from one footprint.
> In April 2026. $MTSI led an £81M investment into $IQE. That is 83% of IQE's annual revenue.
> Their telecom is up +41% YoY in FY25. We know this for a fact. That wafer demand prints onto future quarters.