Facts & Figures: Fiber Optic Connectors

By Dave Pheteplace | October 20, 2015

Automotive is the fastest growing market sector for fiber optic connectors.

The market for fiber optic connectors, after years of promising predictions, is finally (really) taking off. From plastic optical fiber (POF) used in automobile communications systems to embedded optics in high-performance computing (HPC), fiber-optic connector use is growing. The largest revenue opportunities for FO connectors are in the telecom/datacom market sector and LC connectors. A top growth market is with embedded optics and, therefore, mid-plane and backplane connectors.

The following graph displays the fiber optic connector market by product type.

As can be seen in the above graph, LC connectors are the largest product type with more than 43% of the market by value. At less than half the market share of LC connectors, SC is the next largest product type.

Bishop and Associates breaks down fiber optic connectors into 11 different market sectors. The worldwide market is summarized below.

Fiber optic connector value by market sector

As seen in the graph, datacom/telecom has the greatest value and represents more than 61% of the connector value in the total market. Industrial is the next largest market sector at less than seven times the size of datacom/telecom.

The following graph displays the fiber optic connector market by region of the world.

2015 Fiber Optic Connector Value Market Share by Region

China is the largest producer of fiber optic connectors with more than 35% market share. North America and Europe follow at less than 20% of the market each.

The following chart shows the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for fiber optic connectors by market sector.

2015 Fiber Optic Connector Value 2015 to 2020 CAGR

Automotive is the fastest-growing equipment sector with a five-year CAGR exceeding 16%. This is followed by telecom/datacom and transportation as the next fastest growing markets.

Fiber optic connectors, in total, will grow 11% CAGR over the next five years, to a value nearing $4 billion.

Bishop projects that the total connector industry will contract slightly (low single digits) in 2015.

If you are interested in detailed information on the market for fiber optic connectors, click here.

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Dave Pheteplace

SVP and Managing Director Cable Assembly at Bishop & Associates Inc.

David Pheteplace joined Bishop & Associates Inc. in 2008, and was appointed vice president in September 2011. He is also the managing director of Bishop’s cable assembly division, which he established in 2008. Pheteplace has more than 30 years of experience in the interconnect industry, including managing divisions of Amphenol, Cinch, and Robinson Nugent.

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