The LAN segment grew modestly after an exceptional 5% growth year in 2018.
As of the end of March 2020, BSRIA research forecasts lower growth of less than 1% for the global market in 2020 and modest annual growth through 2024. The data center segment remains a more exciting growth area than LAN.
Overall growth is impacted by the US market, which accounts for 36% of the global structured cabling market. The US cabling market had a decent year in 2019, growing by 2.5%, following a very strong year in 2018 with growth exceeding 4%. This growth was supported by the country's economic expansion, an increase in non-residential construction, and good adoption of Cat 6A cabling.
Many key countries performed well in 2018, including China, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, and South Korea, all with growth exceeding 4%. In 2019, only Germany performed well, while most countries showed moderate growth or experienced a decline, including China, the UK, Switzerland, and Mexico (measured in USD value).
Sales of Cat 6A increased by almost 7% globally in 2019 and now account for 33% of all cabling systems by value. Cat 6a sales are projected to continue growing steadily through 2024.
Sales of Cat 7, 7a, and Cat 8 are expected to show high growth rates, but from a small base. The combined market share of these three categories is expected to grow from 1.7% in 2019 to 3.7% in 2024. Cat 8 sales are not expected to take off. Cat 5e sales
continue to decline but still account for 14% in 2019, primarily sold in the US, China, and Japan.
Cat 6, which currently dominates the market, is expected to decline slightly in the future.
BSRIA has just released a new global study on the structured cabling market, which includes 16 in-depth country analyses and a global overview covering 33 countries and Southeast Asia.
An assessment of the potential impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the country's key markets will be published in September.
