SEPTEMBER 28, 2010 -- Calling it the fastest growing segment in the optical equipment business, telecom market research firm Infonetics Research says that wavelength-selective switch (WSS) component sales nearly doubled year-on-year in the first half of 2010.
The data appears in the recently updated 2010 ROADM Components report, which tracks the reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) optical network equipment market and the WSS components within it, measured by spacing technology and degree-count.
“There was explosive growth in shipments of WSS components in the first half of 2010, with the market 95% higher than the same period last year. The WSS product mix continues to accelerate towards 50-Ghz spacing as large Tier 1 carriers migrate to this specification. Volume in small 2x1 components has yet to lift, though many smaller carriers worldwide are evaluating this form factor as a low-cost way to deploy ROADMs in their networks,” explains Andrew Schmitt, directing analyst for optical at Infonetics Research.
Other ROADM component market highlights Infonetics cited include:
- The market for ROADM equipment grew 6% in the first half of 2010 (1H10) when compared to 1H09, a much slower pace than the underlying WSS component business
- Worldwide revenue from WSS components with 50-GHz channel spacing is forecast to account for more than half of the market by 2012. Telecom service providers are looking for tighter channel spacing to increase fiber capacity and ensure compatibility with cutting-edge WDM platforms, and are purchasing larger degree counts than needed for future traffic growth, the market research firm adds.
Infonetics' biannual ROADM Components report provides market size, market share, forecasts, and in-depth analysis on WSS components (revenue and units), with added historical and current ROADM optical equipment market size and share for a big-picture view of the market. The report provides WSS component pricing trends, supplier size, ASP forecast, deployment models, and market drivers and trends.
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