Market research firm Frost & Sullivan predicts that sales of fiber-optic test equipment will grow to $884.9 million in 2020. The market will benefit from fiber-to-the-antenna (FTTA) applications as well as the overall bandwidth demand increase that long term evolution (LTE) deployments will create, helping the case for 100G and 400G fiber-optic networks.
In a new report, “Analysis of the Global Fiber Optic Test Equipment Market,” Frost & Sullivan reports that the fiber-optic test equipment market reached $603.8 million in 2013. The firm says that integrated or platform-based test instruments are gaining momentum, while fiber inspection probes also did well, accounting for approximately $45 million in sales last year.
The increase in fiber associated with mobile backhaul and other wireless activity, from FTTA, fiber-to-the-tower (FTTT), distributed antenna systems (DAS), and cloud or centralized-radio access networks (CRAN), will help drive the need for fiber-optic test sets, according to the report. But other factors also will increase instrument sales.
"The proliferation of electronics and reduction in chip sizes will also augment the demand for innovative test technologies," said Frost & Sullivan Measurement and Instrumentation Program Manager Sujan Sami. "One such potential opportunity lies in micro structure fiber and hollow fiber with higher non-linear limits."
New fiber-optic connector technologies also will prove a catalyst, according to the report.
For more information on test equipment and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
Want to learn more about test equipment innovation? Attend the Lightwave Optical Innovation Summit
The Lightwave Optical Innovation Summit will feature panels and presentations that will illuminate where optical innovation is required in carrier and enterprise/data center networks, what it should look like, and when it might appear. A wide range of experts from the user, technology development, academic, and analyst communities will offer their views on innovation in a variety of areas, including test equipment. Find out more about the Summit, which will be held in Austin, TX, July 14-16, at the Lightwave Optical Innovation Summit website.