LightCounting: supply shortages are slowing Ethernet transceiver sales

Dec. 18, 2024
Optical transceiver suppliers are expecting slowed growth in Q4 and early 2025.

LightCounting reported in its recently released Q4 Quarterly Market Update that sequential sales growth rates for leading Ethernet transceiver suppliers, like Acelink and Innlight, indicate a coming slowdown.

The research firm reports that while optical transceiver suppliers reported revenue growth in Q3 2024, and demand remains strong, component shortages are restricting supply, and optical transceiver suppliers are reporting expectations of lower growth in Q4 and early 2025.

“100G per lane VCSELs were a bottleneck in early 2024, and now it is 100G EMLs that emerged as the main constraint,” wrote report author and LightCounting principal analyst John Lively in a press release. “Leading suppliers are transitioning to silicon photonics designs, but it is taking time. Adding capacity for EML production is also a lengthy process.”

LightCounting expects the shortages to gradually ease over the first half of 2025, advising the market could return to growth in the latter half of the year.

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About the Author

Hayden Beeson

Hayden Beeson is a writer and editor with over seven years of experience in a variety of industries. Prior to joining Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, he was the associate editor of Architectural SSL and LEDs Magazine. 

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