Planar Lightwave Circuit Splitters Market Forecast

The use of PLC splitters increase 14% in the year 2015…

Aptos, CA (USA) – 2016  -- ElectroniCast Consultants, a leading market/technology consultancy, today announced the report release of their market forecast of the global consumption of Planar Lightwave Circuit (PLC) splitters used in Fiber Optic Communication Networks.

According to the ElectroniCast market report, the worldwide consumption value of PLC splitters reached $696 million in 2015, up 14% from 2014.  PLC splitters will continue to contribute an important role in Fiber to the Home (FTTH) networks by allowing a single passive optical network (PON) interface to be shared among many subscribers. PLC splitters distribute optical signals from an input optical fiber port to multiple optical fibers output port. 

“There are several piece-parts that are needed to produce a typical PLC splitter, such as 1-2 input optical fibers with an input fiber containment unit, a planar (splitter) chip, a fiber array containment unit, and several output optical fibers, as well as the housing/exterior package,” said Stephen Montgomery, Director of the Fiber Optics Group at ElectroniCast Consultants.

In addition to covering the market for the PLC splitters, this study also quantifies the use of the PLC chips and the modules that PLC splitters may eventually end-up in.

The global PLC splitter chip consumption value in 2015 was $123.5 million.  The global consumption of PLC chips used in PLC splitters is forecast to expand at an average annual growth rate of 1.92 percent in value, reaching $135.8 million in the year 2020 (peaking in value in 2018).  The Asia Pacific region (APAC) led in the use of PLC chips in 2015.    

“PLC splitters are available in several configurations; the ElectroniCast study provides market data on 11-separate configuration for the years 2015-2020.  The 1x4 split configuration dominated the market in 2015; however, the higher split-ratios, such as the 1x16, 1x32, 2x16, and 2x32 are forecast with much faster annual growth,” Montgomery added.