A survey of optical-transceiver and optical-transponder purchasers revealed that only about one quarter showed a high degree of loyalty to their suppliers. The survey was conducted by Lightwave, which is owned by PennWell Corporation, the company that also owns Cabling Installation & Maintenance. It showed that only 27.5% of respondents either definitely will not or probably will not change suppliers for a given application. The survey also describes the major criteria buyers use to select suppliers, which suppliers enjoy the most brand recognition, and how transceiver/transponder decision-makers view major module vendors.
"The lack of loyalty certainly isn't good news for module vendors, who clearly can't rest easily even after the sale is made," comments Stephen Hardy, editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave. "In particular, buyers won't hesitate to change suppliers if their transceivers and transponders don't meet performance expectations or if a competitor comes along with a better module."
The survey also reports on the types of optical transceivers and transponders that purchasers plan to buy, as well as which vendors are on their short lists for 2011. Transceiver and transponder purchasers surveyed represent end-user organizations as well as carriers and technology developers.
The full survey report is available for purchase as a PDF for $2,500. An executive summary is availble for free. Read the executive summary here.