The Ethernet Access Device (EAD) market may have declined 3.5 percent to $925 million in 2014 due to ongoing declines in Ethernet over TDM bonded circuits (EoTDM), but Infonetics says that ongoing deployments of fiber to more buildings will help fuel future growth of fiber EADs.
According to the research firm, fiber was the only EAD segment to grow in 2014, up 0.8 percent from 2013.
Looking forward, the deployment of Fiber EADs will increase as many service providers move to fiber as they upgrade building sites and mobile backhaul from TDM to Ethernet.
"We expect global EAD revenue to grow at a 7 percent compound annual growth rate in the five years from 2014 to 2019, largely driven by strong growth in using Ethernet to connect businesses, buildings and broadband," said Richard Webb, research director for mobile backhaul and small cells at Infonetics Research, now part of IHS Inc., in a release.
And while EoTDM continues to decline, Infonetics said it will retain its market niche as a lower-cost solution that allows service providers to address non fiber-fed buildings by combining several E1s or T1s in logical bonding.
From a vendor point of view, Ciena was the No. 1 vendor in EAD revenue market share.
For more:
- see the release
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