The global consumption value of selected test equipment and instrumentation used in optical communication applications will grow from $3.175 billion in 2002 to $14.28 billion in 2011.
That is the forecast of ElectroniCast Corp. The company's report states that Optical Time Domain Reflectometers and their associated test function modules led, in relative market share, with more than 50% of the total value.
"Remote Fiber Test Systems (RFTS) will prove to be a major user of OTDRs," says ElectroniCast President Stephen Montgomery.
OTDR-based RFTSs locate faults in optical fiber networks, periodically testing the optical signal link and verifying cable installations and optical fiber splice loss, to name a few applications.
The report states that North America led global consumption of optical fiber test equipment and instrumentation optical in 2002, with a 52% relative market share. North American consumption value is forecasted to increase to $6.6 billion in 2011, with rapidly rising quantity growth offset by falling average prices.
The ElectroniCast study forecasts the use of 12 different equipment/instrumentation types, segmented by size (benchtop or handheld), plus function modules, end-user application and region.
"Several other equipment types represent large consumption values, such as Bit-Error Test units, Attenuators and Optical Spectrum Analyzers," Montgomery says. "However many other test units/functions will show impressive market growth, such as Polarization Mode Dispersion analyzers, power meters, wavelength meters and others.
"There is trend to provide multifunctional devices, equipment performing more
than one operation," Montgomery continues. "Also, besides RFTSs, the communications industry has other test and measurement concerns dealing with DWDM systems,
optical amplifiers, optical cross-connects, optical add/drops, optical transport systems and many others."
ElectroniCast is based in San Mateo, CA. For more information visit www.electronicast.com.
