Driven by 5G expansion and data-centre growth, fibre’s on the move again

The worldwide fibre-optic sector is accelerating, propelled by 5G deployments, expanding data centres, and government broadband initiatives, with market values expected to nearly double by 2030 amidst diverse forecasts.

The global fibre‑optic market is accelerating as mobile operators, cloud providers and governments push for higher‑capacity, lower‑latency networks. According to a Market Research Future report, the market was valued at USD 8.9 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach about USD 16.5 billion by 2030, driven by 5G rollouts, data‑centre expansion and national broadband initiatives. ^[1]

Projected totals vary markedly between analysts, highlighting uncertainty over definitions and scope. Global Market Insights forecasts the optical fibre connectivity market will reach USD 7.8 billion by 2034, emphasising the role of 5G in spurring fibre for backhaul and FTTx networks. By contrast, a Grand View Research estimate for the wider fibre‑optics market puts the sector at about USD 10.76 billion in 2025 and rising to USD 17.95 billion by 2033, while another market house projects the optic fibre cable market could reach as much as USD 53.77 billion by 2033. These divergent figures reflect differing market boundaries (for example, passive cable, active optical cables, components and services) and forecasting horizons. ^[2][7][6]

Demand fundamentals are consistent across reports: surging video, cloud services, AI workloads and IoT require higher bandwidth and more dense fibre deployments. Industry analysis of active optical cables, an important, higher‑value component of modern data links, shows rapid growth too, with Grand View Research valuing that market at USD 3.97 billion in 2023 and projecting it to reach USD 9.07 billion by 2030, driven largely by hyperscale data centres and enterprise cloud adoption. ^[3]

The 5G build‑out is repeatedly cited as the immediate growth engine. Market estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of 5G base stations were deployed in recent years, each needing multiple kilometres of fibre for fronthaul and backhaul; one market report notes that 2023 deployments implied more than two million kilometres of fibre for mobile backhaul alone. That scale effect, together with fibre‑to‑the‑home and fibre‑to‑the‑premises programmes, is a principal driver of near‑term cable demand. ^[5][2]

Data‑centre expansion compounds the effect. A SkyQuest‑referenced study reported a dramatic rise in data‑centre numbers, from roughly 430,000 in 2020 to an expected 728,000 by 2025, and analysts cite hyperscale openings in recent years as major consumers of fibre strands (each new hyperscale site can require tens of thousands of strands). These centres are central to demand for both passive fibre and higher‑performance active optical cables supporting short‑reach, high‑speed interconnects. ^[4][3][5]

Geographically, growth is uneven but global. North America and Europe benefit from matured deployments, large data‑centre footprints and public funding for broadband, while Asia‑Pacific is frequently identified as the fastest‑growing region because of rapid urbanisation, extensive 5G expansion and large population markets in China, India and Japan. Reports also highlight rising uptake in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa as national broadband initiatives reach into previously underserved areas. ^[1][6][7]

Market structure remains moderately competitive. Large incumbent cable and materials suppliers such as Corning, Prysmian, Sumitomo and Furukawa dominate manufacturing capacity and technology investment, while specialist producers of active optical cable assemblies and connector technologies are growing alongside system integrators. Analysts expect continued product innovation, capacity expansion and partnerships as companies seek to capture both the low‑margin volume of long‑haul and access cable and the higher‑margin opportunities in data‑centre interconnect and active optical solutions. ^[1]

📌 Reference Map:

##Reference Map:

• ^[1] (OpenPR / Market Research Future) – Paragraph 1, Paragraph 6, Paragraph 7
• ^[2] (GlobeNewswire / Global Market Insights) – Paragraph 2, Paragraph 4
• ^[3] (Grand View Research – Active Optical Cable Market Report) – Paragraph 3, Paragraph 5, Paragraph 7
• ^[4] (GlobeNewswire / SkyQuest study referenced) – Paragraph 5
• ^[5] (MarketGrowthReports) – Paragraph 4, Paragraph 5
• ^[6] (GlobalGrowthInsights) – Paragraph 2, Paragraph 6
• ^[7] (Grand View Research – Fibre Optics Market) – Paragraph 2, Paragraph 6

Source: Fuse Wire Services