International. The results show that the global structured cabling market had "a very good year," which rose 4.2 percent to $6.7 billion in 2018, "a much better performance than 2017," when the market rose 1.8 percent. The overall estimate is based on data from 39 countries. This is according to BSRIA's annual global wiring study.
Such growth has been driven by higher-value data centers and products.
In fact: Cabling sales to the data center segment increased by nearly six percent in 2018 and many countries showed significant growth. China increased by nearly 15 percent and several European countries increased by more than 10 percent, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Poland. A high proportion of cabling products in data centers are fiber, primarily providing connectivity, which continues to increase.
Another important trend is the increasing use of single-mode fiber cables in data centers used with preterminate devices (MPO/MTP) and for large bandwidths and/or longer distances.
The LAN segment also performed well in 2018, increasing by nearly four percent. Copper products, and in particular copper cable sales, increased as cat 6A was increased absorption, the addition of plenum in Canada, and the implementation of the Construction Products Regulation in Europe, which recommends improved fire-resistant cables.
Lone Hansen, senior manager of IT cabling, BACS and associated technologies, WMI, said: "While the European Union's Construction Products Regulation began in July 2017, the impact on the market varies significantly by country, as most rely on recommendations rather than enforcing laws. In the UK, the absorption of Class C cabling increased, which now accounts for 25 percent in 2018 in value. In comparison, acceptance of classes B and C accounted for only four percent in Germany and 15 percent in France."
This highlights another key trend in cabling for 2018: a shift to premium products. The premium C-Class is today 10 to 40 percent compared to the D-Class and E-Class in the UK, according to the supplier. In Canada, new fire regulations have increased the absorption of plenum cables, which are two to three times the cost of PVC cables. Absorption of Cat 6A is also increasing in part due to the increasing use of PoE and in part due to lower premiums compared to Cat 6."
