Optical Cable Manufacturing Is Shifting Gears: From Carrier Centralized Procurement to Global Computing Power Demand – How Should Equipment Selection Logic Keep Up?
Looking back, the optical fiber and cable industry has experienced two typical high‑cycle periods: 2009‑2010, driven by 3G license issuance and broadband speed upgrades; and 2015‑2016, driven by large‑scale 4G construction. Both cycles shared the same pattern: domestic carrier centralized procurement with rising volume and prices → manufacturers expand capacity → oversupply → price declines. The industry exhibited a typical “strong cyclicality, weak growth” character. Pricing power remained in the hands of buyers (carriers), and the industry was consistently confined to a cyclical‑commodity analytical framework.
