10-Year Market Forecast
Optical Fiber Testing – An optical
time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is an optoelectronic instrument used to
characterize an optical fiber. The optical-time domain reflectometer is
considered at the core of fiber optic characterization.
This report provides the Publisher Forecast
of global consumption of hand-held OTDR fiber optic test units, associated
supplemental (add-on) modules, and Multi-Test Platforms, which are initially
used with OTDR add-on modules.
This report provides an analysis (review)
and a 10-year forecast (2016-2026) of the worldwide market consumption
segmented into the following geographic regions:
- North America
- Europe
- Asia Pacific Region (APAC)
- China (Mainland)
- Rest of Asia Pacific
- Rest of the World
The Publisher global market is segmented
into the following major application categories:
Telecommunications
- Private Enterprise Networks
- Cable TV
- Military
- Specialty (Sensor, Industrial, Laboratory,
rental units, other applications and non-specific/miscellaneous)
The OTDR is used as a troubleshooting
device to find faults, splices, and bends in fiber optic cables, with an eye
toward identifying light loss. Light loss is especially important in fiber
optic cables because it can interfere with the transmission of data. An OTDR
can detect such light loss and pinpoint trouble areas, facilitating the
maintenance and repair process.
Telecommunications, last year in 2016, led
in relative market share of worldwide consumption value of handheld OTDRs and
multi-test units with initial and add-on OTDR modules.
The fastest annual growth, however, is
forecasted for the consumption of OTDRs in the Private Networks, due to the
increase optical fiber deployment in LANs (local area networks), campus (LAN
extension inter-building, LAN-to-LAN and redundant lines), and (very large)
Data Centers (DCs), driven by critical high-speed data applications.Private
networks require an OTDR solution to accommodate a singlemode or multimode
application and test scenario from very short to longer distances. With the
exception of Military, Publisher counts the use of OTDRs by the Government
sector in the Private Network category.
Military/Aerospace applications, as well as
various specialty/other applications are also quantified in this report of the
study.Publisher defines the use of handheld OTDRs in Specialty applications, as
units testing the deployment of Sensors, which are not used in the other
applications).Specialty applications also include the use of OTDRs in used in
Industrial, Laboratory, rental units, other applications and
non-specific/miscellaneous.
This Publisher forecast of global
consumption of handheld (portable) OTDR devices with the initial capacity or
multiple test function devices (platforms) with a module to perform OTDR
functions, as well as the supplementary or secondary (add-on) modules for
hand-held fiber optic test device units.
Product Categories covered in this Publisher
market forecast:
- OTDR devices, including pre-installed
(initial) capability (embedded/dedicated or module); this category includes
multiple test function units, which includes OTDR capabilities
- Supplementary OTDR modules, which can be
added-on (plug into) existing handheld OTDR or multiple test function
units/platform devices
The market forecast data are segmented by
the following functions:
- Consumption Value (US$, million)
- Quantity (number/by 1,000 units)
- Average Selling Prices (ASP $, each)
- Information Base for the Market Forecast
- Primary Research
This study is based on analysis of
information obtained continually since 1994, but updated through the beginning
of mid-August of 2017. During this
period, Publisher analysts performed interviews with authoritative and
representative individuals in the fiber optics industry plus private networks,
telecommunications, military/aerospace and other communication industries,
instrumentation/laboratory – R&D and factory/manufacturing, from the
standpoint of both suppliers and users of fiber optic test units.
The interviews were conducted principally
with:
Engineers, marketing personnel and
management at manufacturers of fiber optic test equipment, fiber optic sensors,
fiber optic fusion splice equipment, mechanical splice, connectors,
transceivers, as well as laser diodes and photodiodes, application-specific
ICs, packages, ferrules and cables, substrate materials, optical waveguide and
other components used in the fabrication of optoelectronic transceivers,
optical fiber, fiber optic cable assemblies and installation apparatus.
Design group leaders, engineers, marketing
personnel and market planners at major users and potential users of cable,
cable assemblies, connectors, installation apparatus, passive devices and
transceivers, such as telecommunication transmission, switching and
distribution equipment producers, data communications equipment producers
(switches, hubs, routers), computer and workstation producers, weapon system,
aircraft and spacecraft electronic equipment producers, optical instrumentation
system producers and others.
Other industry experts, including those
focused on standards activities, trade associations, and investments.
The interviews covered issues of
technology, R&D support, pricing, contract size, reliability,
documentation, installation/maintenance crafts, standards, supplier competition
and other topics. Customers also were
interviewed, to obtain their estimates of quantities received and average
prices paid, as a crosscheck of vendor estimates. Customer estimates of
historical and expected near term future growth of their application are
obtained. Their views of use of new technology products were obtained.
The analyst then considered customer
expectations of near term growth in their application, plus forecasted economic
payback of investment, technology trends and changes in government regulations
in each geographical region, to derive estimated growth rates of quantity and
price of each product subset in each application. These forecasted growth rates
are combined with the estimated baseline data to obtain the long-range
forecasts at the lowest detailed level of each product and application.
Secondary Research
- A full review of published information was
also performed to supplement information obtained through interviews. The
following sources were reviewed:
- Professional technical journals and papers
- Trade press articles
- Technical conference proceedings
- Product literature
- Company profile and financial information
- Additional information based on previous
Publisher market studies
- Personal knowledge of the research team
In analyzing and forecasting the
complexities of the world region markets for fiber optic test and measurement
products, it is essential that the market research team have a good and a deep
understanding of the technology and of the industry. Publisher members who
participated in this report were qualified.
Bottom-up Methodology
Publisher forecasts are developed initially
at the lowest detail level, and then summed to successively higher levels. The
background market research focuses on the amount of each type of product used
in each application in the base year (last year: 2016), and the prices paid at
the first transaction from the manufacturer. This forms the base year data.
Publisher analysts then forecast the growth rates in component quantity use in
each application, along with price trends, based on competitive, economic and technology
forecast trends, and apply these to derive long term forecasts at the lowest
application levels. The usage growth rate forecasts depend heavily on analysis
of overall end user trends toward optical communication equipment usage and
economic payback.
Cross-Correlation Increases Accuracy
The quantities of fiber optic test
equipment, fiber optic fusion splice devices/equipment, fiber cable,
connectors, sensors, transceivers, transport terminals, optical add/drop MUX,
photonic switches and other products used in a particular application are
interrelated. Since Publisher conducts annual analysis and forecast updates in
each fiber optic related product field, accurate current quantity estimates in
each application are part of this corporate database. These quantities are
cross-correlated as a “sanity check.”
Publisher, each year since 1985, has
conducted extensive research and updated our multiple-client forecasts of each
fiber optic component category. As technology and applications have advanced,
the number of component subsets covered by the forecasts has expanded
impressively.
Spanning over 458 pages “Handheld
OTDRs / Modules & Multiple Test Platform Units with OTDR Modules Global
Market Forecast & Analysis 2016-2026” report covers Executive
Summary, Market Forecast, by Region, Competitive Environment, Optical
Communication Trends, Market Research Methodology, Definitions: Acronyms,
Abbreviations, and General Terms, Market Forecast Data Base.
