Behind the Surge in Fiber Optic Equipment Orders in 2026: A Manufacturer’s Real Perspective
If you had asked me in 2025 whether fiber optic cable equipment was selling well, I might have sighed.
But now it’s 2026, and the situation has completely changed.
Since the beginning of the year, orders have been pouring in like a floodgate opened. G.652.D bare fiber has soared from less than RMB 20 per fiber‑km in early 2025 to RMB 83.4. G.657.A2 specialty fiber is even more dramatic – up from RMB 32 per fiber‑km to RMB 240, a 650% increase. With fiber prices this high, cable manufacturers are racing to expand capacity.
Customs data tells the story even more clearly – in March 2026, fiber optic cable exports reached USD 245 million, up 263.84% year‑on‑year. Many manufacturers already have orders booked through 2028. Overseas customers aren’t haggling over prices anymore – they’re asking, “Can you deliver faster?”
CRU forecasts a compound annual growth rate of about 6.6% for global fiber optic cable demand over the next five years, but the growth rate for AI‑ and data‑center‑related cable demand is as high as 32.6%. Cable demand is shifting from FTTH (Fiber‑to‑the‑Home) to FTTG (Fiber‑to‑the‑GPU). In plain terms, cables used to be for home broadband; now they’re for GPUs in data centers. And that changes everything about what cables need to be.
