Asia-Pacific PON vendors see sales jump 50%

April 1, 2008
PON equipment manufacturers in Asia-Pacific were expected to see a 50% jump in revenue overall between 2006 and 2007, according to a report released by Infonetics Research (www.infonetics.com). PON sales will continue increasing steadily at least through 2010, driven largely by ongoing EPON deployments in Japan and by expanding PON network roll-outs in Korea, China, and India, the report adds.

The report, �EPON and GPON Equipment in Asia Pacific,� says the number of PON OLT and ONT ports shipped reached 3.1 million in 2006 and will more than double by 2010.

�We believe the Japanese PON market will reach saturation in late 2008 and service providers there will focus on ramping up subscribers for their EPON networks,� says Jeff Heynen, directing analyst at Infonetics Research. �Korea and China are a different story, where FTTH and FTTB networks have only recently begun to ramp up, and these countries won�t reach saturation until after 2010.�

In Japan, PON equipment manufacturer revenue will decline from 2007 to 2010, as PON build-outs slow and service providers such as NTT, Usen, and other energy companies focus on securing subscribers. Infonetics says Korean manufacturer revenue will have nearly quadrupled between 2006 and 2007, as KT and Hanaro significantly expand their EPON and GPON networks in Seoul and surrounding suburbs. Revenue in China was expected to more than double between 2006 and 2007 as CTC, CNC, and other regional operators roll out the initial stages of their FTTB and FTTH networks in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Infonetics� report tracks EPON and GPON equipment in China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, as well as the total Asia-Pacific region.