MSO spending outpaces all other NA markets in 1Q 2018: Cignal AI

Cignal AI, a Boston-based networking component and equipment market research firm, indicates spending growth by cable multiple system operators (MSOs) led all other North American customer verticals during first quarter 2018. The report also reveals that contrary to continued increase in China, incumbent network operator spending in North America and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) on optical transport equipment continues to decline.

According to the report, optical equipment spending by cloud operators, contrary to common perceptions, has stalled due to rapidly declining prices and the use of IP-over-WDM as a substitute. Despite the downward trend, however, Ciena and Infinera continue to take share in the cloud market.

“In North America, cable MSOs were the strongest performing customer market during the first quarter of 2018,” says Andrew Schmitt, lead analyst at Cignal AI. “Cloud operators are not increasing purchases of optical equipment, though common belief right now is just the opposite. The revenue growth from cloud operators experienced by Ciena and Infinera came at the expense of other vendors’ sales.”

Other key findings in the report include China being the largest source of optical hardware market growth, almost single-handedly representing the one-third global spending by Asia. Global spending by cable MSOs grew 5% year-over-year in the first quarter, with North America increasing 30%.

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