Fiber access equipment to hit $1.9B in ’09

“Following the stagnation of optical core networking over the past few years, the fiber access market is showing real promise and ultimately can drive a reinvestment in the core,” maintains Sterling Perrin, manager of IDC’s optical networks research. In terms of technology, the firm says that choices for fiber access will be drawn clearly along regional lines. U.S. carriers will remain committed to BPON and, in an evolutionary fashion, GPON technology, while Japan will focus on EPON technology. The report sees Europe and Asia (excluding Japan) favoring point-to-point Ethernet, but also sees a small mix of EPON and BPON in both these regions. Equipment vendors hoping to capitalize on fiber access market growth will have to play in multiple technologies and regions, if possible.

The study, “Worldwide Fiber Access Equipment 2005-2009 Forecast and Analysis,” sees the worldwide fiber access networking market growing at a 16.6% compound annual-growth rate between ’04 and ’09, with video services the key driver for the move to fiber access in the U.S. and Europe and to a lesser extent in Asia. The firm says that worldwide market growth opportunity for fiber is high, especially when compared to other optical technology areas as well as the DSL broadband equipment market that fiber access is replacing.