1Q23 service provider router market growth ‘extraordinary’: Dell’Oro Group
Growth in service provider router and switch sales was nothing less that “extraordinary” in the first quarter of 2023, according to Dell’Oro Group. Strong demand from hyperscalers and an easing of component supply constraints contributed to the unexpected results, the market research firm states in its new 1Q 2023 Service Provider Router and Switch Report.
Dell’Oro reports double-digit market increases in all regions except EMEA, which declined. North American spending led the market, followed by the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) and Asia Pacific.
“We were caught by surprise as revenues blew through the roof, growing 15% year-over-year. Only three times in the past 12 years has the SP Router market increased at this rate. For over two years, component supplies have constrained vendors’ ability to fulfill orders, and orders were piling to record levels,” said Ivaylo Peev, senior analyst at Dell’Oro Group.
“We have seen particular strength recently from hyperscalers in North America, which deploy routers to interconnect geographically dispersed facilities, to connect to Telecom SP wide area networks, and to connect inside the data centers,” continued Peev. “Within the data center, we are seeing a significant increase towards high-speed network connectivity such as 200-Gbps and 400-Gbps Ethernet switch deployments, which in turn have a cascading effect on the network core.”
The top router manufacturers benefited the most from the popularity of such high-speed ports. For example, Cisco gained two share points during the quarter, achieving its greatest market share since 1Q 2019. Meanwhile, Juniper Networks, Ciena, and ZTE gained share within the edge router segment.
“For the short-term outlook, we may see another quarter of strong growth, but do not expect it to be sustainable as customers need time to digest inventory, and the bulk of the market deployments come from Telecom SPs which refresh their networks at a steady pace,” Peev stated.
Dell’Oro’s Service Provider Router & Switch Report covers the service provider router and switch market for current, future, and historical periods. The report includes qualitative analysis and detailed statistics for manufacturing revenue by region, customer type, use cases, average selling prices, and unit and port shipments.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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