BSRIA forecasts when Category 6A will outsell Cat 6

In a report detailing the global market for structured cabling products, BSRIA forecasts modest growth over the next several years, and projects that in 2024, global sales of Category 6A cabling will surpass sales of Category 6.

“Sales of Category 6A increased almost 7% globally in 2019 and now accounts for 33% of all cabling systems by value,” BSRIA said. “Sales of Cat 6A are estimated to progress dynamically up to 2024.” The most recent forecast from BSRIA forecasts through 2024. “Sales of Cat 5e continue to decline, but still account for 14% in 2019, sold mostly in the USA, China and Japan. Cat 6, which currently dominates the market, is expected to decline slightly in the future.”

The organization further estimated that sales of Category 7, 7A, and 8 will experience high growth rates, but from a small base. “The share for the three categories combined is expected to grow from 1.7% in 2019 to 3.7% in 2024. Sales of Cat 8 are not anticipated to take off.”

Overall, 2019 was a year of modest 1.2% growth for the global structured cabling market, to reach a total value of US$6.8 billion. That followed a growth rate of nearly 5% in 2018.

“The data center segment performed better than LAN, increasing by almost 3% in 2019,” BSRIA said, but quickly added that 3% rate was half its growth rate from the previous year. “The LAN segment increased modestly after an exceptional 5% growth year in 2018.”

The combined LAN and data center market will experience modest growth through 2024.

As of the end of March, BSRIA forecasts the global market will grow less than 1% this year, then experience what it calls “modest” yearly increases through 2024. “The overall growth is impacted is impacted by the U.S. market, which accounts for 36% of the global structured cabling market,” BSRIA explained. “The U.S. cabling market experienced a decent year in 2019 with a 2.5% increase following a very good year in 2018, with an increase of over 4%, supported by the country’s economic growth, an increase in non-residential construction, and a good uptake of Category 6A.”

Several other countries performed well in 2018, BSRIA said, including China, Canada, UK, Germany, France, and South Korea; all posted greater-than-4% growth that year. “In 2019 only Germany did well, while most countries showed moderate growth or experienced a decrease, such as China, the UK, Switzerland, and Mexico,” BSRIA reported.

Anyone interested in more information about BSRIA’s reports can visit country-specific websites. For the U.S., visit here. For China, visit here. For EMEA and all other interests, visit here.