IHS Forecasts Huge Growth for 100 Gigabit Optical Ports as Operators Increase Network Capacity

Cambridge, MASSACHUSETTS (August 11, 2015)—Coherent 100G port shipments for metro regional optical networks grew 145 percent in 2014 from the prior year, and are anticipated to grow another 118 percent in 2015, predicts IHS (NYSE: IHS).

“Adoption of 100G coherent technology has surged, first in long haul networks and now becoming a material part of metro networks. The expansion of 100G into new markets was the catalyst for our100G+ coherent optical ports report, which provides an accurate, in-depth picture of how 100G technology is being used today and how it’ll be used in the future as the landscape grows increasingly complex,” said Andrew Schmitt, research director for carrier transport networking at IHS.

“100G is poised to explode in 2016 as new equipment built specifically for the metro reaches the market, allowing 100G technology to economically reach new portions of the network such as metro edge and metro regional,” Schmitt said.

100G+ COHERENT OPTICAL PORT MARKET HIGHLIGHTS

• 2014 was a banner year for 100G port shipments, led by massive purchases in China from China Mobile
• Most of 100G coherent technology deployed in 2014 was for long haul applications, but metro regional (<600km) and metro access (<80km) applications will start ramping in 2016
• 100G market share is concentrated in a small circle of players: Alcatel-Lucent, Ciena, Huawei, Infinera and ZTE; the only potential catalyst for shifts will come from deployment in shorter reach metro and datacenter applications—the next growth vector for 100G
• Sometime in 2017–2018, 100G coherent will make another quantum jump, displacing 10G in the 80km or less metro-access market

100G OPTICAL REPORT SYNOPSIS

The 20-page IHS Infonetics 100G+ Coherent Optical Equipment Ports market size, vendor market share and forecast report provides detailed granularity for 100G+ coherent and non-coherent port shipments on optical transport equipment, tracking the evolution of 100G as operators increase the flexibility and capacity of their networks. The report tracks 100G by application, including metro regional, metro access and long haul, as well as specific technology derivatives such as flex-coherent and direct-detect 100G. To purchase the report, please visit www.infonetics.com/contact.asp.