Dell’Oro Group’s Cable Outside Plant Equipment Advanced Research Report provides a 5-year market forecast for critical cable outside plant infrastructure, including optical nodes, amplifiers, network taps, and line passives. The research tracks the investment cycle as cable operators modernize their networks to support higher spectrum capacity, DOCSIS 4.0, and multi-gigabit broadband services.
As part of the long-term transition to DOCSIS 4.0, cable operators are beginning to update their outside plant—particularly bridger/trunk amplifiers, HFC network taps, and other passive elements—in order to upgrade their spectrum capacity from 750 MHz and 1 GHz to 1.2 GHz and 1.8 GHz.
The research tracks how quickly cable operators will replace and upgrade these outside plant elements, including the technologies, pricing, availability, and deployment timelines associated with the transition to DOCSIS 4.0.
This upgrade cycle is a once-in-a-decade transition that will help MSOs keep pace with fiber competitors by giving them the capacity to deliver multi-gigabit broadband services to both residential and business customers alike.
The investment cycle is already accelerating. Global Cable Outside Plant Equipment revenue is expected to increase 20 percent year-over-year in 2026 and peak in 2027, with nearly 10 million new amplifiers expected to be deployed during the current upgrade cycle. In addition to increasing spectrum capacity, new amplifiers and nodes are becoming more intelligent, providing cable operators with greater network visibility, fault detection, and proactive maintenance capabilities.
To take advantage of the opportunities associated with the forthcoming upgrade of cable outside plant elements, component and equipment manufacturers, cable operators, and financial institutions will find answers to critical business questions, including:
Manufacturers’ revenue, units shipped, and average selling prices
Bridger/Trunk Amplifiers, HFC Network Taps, Line Passives, Smart Amplifiers, and Optical Nodes, including DAA and Generic Access Platform (GAP) Nodes
1.2 GHz, 1.2 GHz Full Duplex, and 1.8 GHz amplifier technologies
Regional subscriber forecasts
North America, Europe, MEA, Asia Pacific excluding China, China only, and Worldwide
