Fiber Optic Preform Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Process (OVD, VAD, MCVD), By Product (Multi-Mode, Plastic Optical Fiber), By End User (Telecom, Oil & Gas), And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global fiber optic preform market size was valued at USD 2.5 Billion in 2018 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 19.6% from 2019 to 2025. The growth can be attributed to the Growing popularity of high-bandwidth internet connections, opportunities in healthcare industry, and investments in telecommunication infrastructure, among other factors.

These preforms are used to make optical fibers, which can potentially transmit data at high speed. Optical fibers are flexible transparent fiber cables made up of high-quality glass, plastic, and silica that operate on the principle of total internal reflection of light. Fiber optic are mostly used for light transmission and illumination, laser delivery systems, and flexible bundling. Intensive research and development into the fiber optic technology have led to several innovations and enabled a myriad of applications for optical fibers in oil and gas, medical, utilities, and defense industries.

Telecommunication and information technology are among the major industries that rely significantly on an optical fiber network infrastructure. The demand for fiber optic cables has been rising in line with the evolving fiber-rich network infrastructure. The growing demand for high bandwidth communication is one of the prominent drivers for optical fibers and hence the preform market.

While the myriad of innovations the telecommunication industry has been witnessing have paved the way for bandwidth-intensive communication based on fiber optic network, optical fibers are also finding applications in other industries, including oil and gas, aerospace, defense, railway, and healthcare among others.

As the technology continues to advance, researchers have managed to launch the fifth-generation of fiber optic, which is based on the Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) conceptual optical solutions.

The rise in data traffic in line with the continued proliferation of tablets, smart devices, laptops, and other portable devices is anticipated to further trigger the demand for optical fiber. The fiber optic preform market is evolving continuously, as it happens to be a vital element of the supply chain associated with the broader optical fiber and cable industry.

The market is highly concentrated with a few well-established and multinational players in the lead. It is equally competitive owing to the strategic initiatives undertaken by these players to offer advanced and innovative products. As such, the companies often engage in mergers and acquisitions and backward integration to expand their product portfolio, widen their geographic presence, and gain a competitive advantage over their peers. As a result, the market has been witnessing a high degree of internal rivalry and competition among the market incumbents.

Product Type Insights

On the basis of product type, the market has been trifurcated into plastic optical fiber and single-mode and multi-mode fiber optic. The multi-mode segment is expected to witness substantial growth over the forecast period. Multi-mode uses a much wider core compared to the single-mode and customarily uses a longer wavelength of light. Consequently, optical fibers used in multi-mode possess a higher competence to gather light from the laser source. Manufacturers are undertaking strategic initiatives to integrate vertically and assume the tasks associated with assembling and testing themselves.

End Users Insights

Based on end users, the market has been segmented into telecom, military and aerospace, oil and gas, BFSI, railway, medical, and others. Telecom is expected to be the largest segment and is projected to witness considerable growth over the forecast period.

Fiber optic serves a variety of military and aerospace applications, thereby necessitating arduous testing to test the endurance in harsh environments and to ensure efficient performance and reliability on the field.

Process Insights

On the basis of process, the market has been segmented into Outside Chemical Vapor Deposition (OVD), Vapor Phase Axial Deposition (VAD), Plasma Activated Chemical Vapor Deposition (PCVD), and Modified Chemical Vapor Deposition (MCVD). The OVD segment accounted for a market share of 35.6% in 2018 and is expected to generate the highest revenue over the forecast period.

The VAD segment is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast periodand is projected to experience a notable growth over the forecast period. VAD is an exceptional method for manufacturing large glass performs in large quantities and has paved the way to mass production of optical fiber.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific held more than 67.0% of the total market share in 2018 and is anticipated to keep growing steadily over the forecast period. China produced 7.55 kilotons (kt) of optical fiber preform in 2017. The supply-demand gap amounted to 1.75 kt during the year as this production failed to cater to the demand.

As the demand continues to grow, the supply-demand gap would continue to widen. However, it is projected that after 2022, China would get self-sufficient in terms of production. As such, the demand and output for preform are expected to reach 19.4 kt and 20.2 kt respectively in 2023.

Fiber Optic Preform Market Share Insights

Some of the key players include Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company, Corning Incorporated, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., HENGTONG GROUP CO., LTD., and Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd, among others.

These key players emphasize on improving their processes to deliver good-quality preform to their customers as well as to expand their geographic presence. For instance, in June 2015, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. established a joint-venture company with Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (YOFC) to install an optical fiber preform facility.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at the global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global fiber optic preform market report based on process,product type,end users, and region:

• Process Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • OVD

  • VAD

  • PCVD

  • MCVD

• Product Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Single-Mode Fiber Optic

  • Multi-Mode Fiber Optic

  • Plastic Optical Fiber Optic

• End Users Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Telecom

  • Oil & Gas

  • Military & Aerospace

  • BFSI

  • Medical

  • Railway

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

    • Mexico

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • U.K.

    • France

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • Japan

    • India

  • South America

    • Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa (MEA)