BSRIA recently updated its 2020 Global Cabling Report, to account for the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, BSRIA says the global market for copper and fiber-optic cabling products and systems will decline 12% this year, from USD$6.6 billion to USD$5.8 billion. BSRIA doesn’t expect the world to return to the 2019 sales level of $6.6 billion until 2022.
“There were significant variations between countries, typically related to the general economic impact of the pandemic,” the researcher explained. “There have also been various government support policies for the country economies in general or for specific sectors, such as buildings.” Additionally, vertical markets have fared significantly differently from one another. “Sectors such as travel, hospitality and retail [have been] especially badly hit, while healthcare, data centers and in some countries, education, remain more buoyant,” BSRIA pointed out.
“On average, the first half of the year saw the largest fall, with severe disruption caused by national lockdowns,” BSRIA continued. “In some instances, the worst effects were felt in the second half.”
Copper cable and connectivity suffered more than fiber did, according to BSRIA. Copper sales declined by 15% globally, with a fall of between 14% and 16% holding consistently across main regions of the globe. BSRIA attributes this decline to “a severe disruption in non-residential construction with the delay or cancellation of many projects.”
Fiber, on the other hand, declined 7% but with significant variations from region to region, “from a stable market in Asia-Pacific to a drop of 14% in America,” BSRIA stated. “In countries where fiber sales held up, this was often supported by increased investment in data centers partly driven by the effects of the pandemic in driving demand for web services.”
BSRIA’s updated global cabling report, which is available now, covers 10 countries and 4 regions.