Strong PON and Ethernet FTTH equipment sales driven by video and high bandwidth apps

Infonetics: Worldwide OLT and ONT PON equipment revenue hit $619 million in 2005 and is forecast to grow to $2 billion in 2009. PON port shipments are projected to grow even faster, hitting 10.7 million in 2009.

The burgeoning Ethernet Access Device (EAD) segment more than quadrupled between 2004 and 2005, and is forecast to jump from $91 million in 2005 to almost $682 million in 2009.

Similarly, after more than doubling between 2004 and 2005, the number of worldwide PON subscribers is expected to continue surging, from 3.4 million in 2005 to 31 million in 2009.

Video, IPTV, and other high bandwidth applications are driving demand for PON and Ethernet FTTH equipment all over the world. PON is very strong in the Asia Pacific region, particularly EPON, which is huge in Japan and will rollout in China soon as well. In North America, Verizon’s BPON-based fiber to the home network, FiOS, is in full swing: at the end of 2005, Verizon had already passed over 3 million homes through FiOS. In EMEA, Ethernet FTTH is strongest, especially in Scandinavia where municipalities and utilities are working together to deploy Ethernet FTTH networks.

• Mitsubishi takes the lead from Hitachi in worldwide PON market share revenue and ports

• Tellabs leads PON revenue in North America, Mitsubishi in Asia Pacific, Motorola in EMEA, and Alcatel in CALA

• FTTH subscribers (PON + Ethernet FTTH subscribers) reached 3 million worldwide in 2005, and will grow to 31.6 million in 2009, 89% of which will be PON-based

• Roughly two-thirds of worldwide PON revenue came from FTTH deployments, a third from FTTB deployments; this split will continue to increase, with FTTH deployments taking the lion’s share of worldwide revenue by 2009

• 57% of worldwide PON revenue comes from Asia Pacific now, but by 2009, North America, EMEA, and CALA will gain share, while Asia Pacific’s share drops to 35%

Infonetics’ report tracks BPON, EPON, and GPON OLT and ONT equipment used in FTTH and FTTB applications; Ethernet switches used in FTTH applications; EADs; and PON subscribers.

he report provides analysis and rankings for PON, EAD, and Ethernet FTTH vendors, including ADVA, AFL, Alcatel, Allied Telesyn, Alloptic, Atrica, Calix, Ceterus, Cisco, ECI, Entrisphere, FlexLight, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Huawei, iamba, Lucent/Riverstone, Mitsubishi, Motorola, NEC, Overture, PacketFront, Siemens, Sumitomo, Tellabs, Terawave, UTStarcom, world Wide Packets, Zhone, and others. PON, FTTH, and EAD Equipment

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