Single-Mode Optical Fiber Market Size - By Core, By Deployment, and By End Use - Global Forecast, 2025 - 2034

Single-Mode Optical Fiber Market Size

The global single-mode optical fiber market was valued at USD 2.5 billion in 2024, with a volume of 213 megametre, and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 16.2% to reach USD 11 billion by 2034. The growth of the market is attributed to factors such as the global rollout of 5G network coupled with the increasing data traffic from cloud services & IoT.
 

The trade actions by the Trump administration, particularly the tariffs on Chinese imports of optical fiber, were aimed at addressing unfair trade practices and strengthening U.S.-based manufacturing. These steps provided U.S.-based makers of single-mode optical fiber with better competitive protection by enhancing market conditions. However, the adoption of the policies resulted in difficulties for international supply chains and increased the cost of buying optical fiber in the U.S. Consequently, the synergy of these effects impeded infrastructure rollout and created market unpredictability, which made the environment hostile for the development of fiber optic networks.
 

The global rollout of 5G network serves as a primary factor behind the growth of the single-mode optical fiber market. 5G network supports up to 100x faster speed and 10x lower latency, when compared to 4G network, which has led to increased bandwidth requirements from cell towers to data centres, where single mode fibers are gaining rapid traction for widely distributed 5G base stations due to their ability to transmit data over longer distances with minimal loss. In addition, the increasing investment from government and telecom companies towards 5G infrastructure further require fiberization of base stations for meeting performance benchmarks of 5G networks. For instance, according to the IBEF, the number of Indian 5G subscribers was around 270 million consumers in 2024 and is projected to surpass 970 million consumers by 2030, representing a growth of 74% of total mobile customer base. 
 

The increasing data traffic from cloud services & IoT is another major growth driver for the growth for the single-mode optical fiber market. The rapid expansion of cloud services such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud generates and transfer larger volume of data between data centres, edge devices, and end users, which propels the demand for single mode fiber to ensure efficient long distance transfer for data with low latency and signal loss. Moreover, Hyperscale cloud providers require high bandwidth and low latency interconnects to support long distance transmission at high speed, which further positions single mode fiber as backbone connection. Furthermore, several large scale industries are increasingly deploying large scale IIoT systems with various connected sensors and machines in factory, utilities, and energy networks, that further require single mode optical fiber to ensure real time performance for latency sensitive use cases.
 

Single-Mode Optical Fiber Market Trends

• Recent trend observed in the single mode optical fiber market is the growing emphasis towards cable miniaturization, which further offers space saving and cost efficient network infrastructure. Manufacturers are increasingly focusing towards development of thinner and lighter cables, that ensures high performance while enabling easier installation in urban environments, data centres, and smart city projects. These compact cables further reduce material costs and simplifying routing in tight spaces.
   
• Another major trend observed in the market is the development of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), which offers maximum data carrying capacity of single mode fiber networks. These WDM transmits multiple optical signals at different wavelengths though single mode fiber, which enables simultaneous and high bandwidth transmission without interference. This approach significantly increases the network flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency, as new channels can be added without altering the existing infrastructure.
   
• The rapid adoption of passive optical networks (PONs) to ensure high speed internet and other services to end users is another major trend in the market. PONs uses a point to multipoint architecture, which enables the incorporation of single optical fiber to server various customer cost efficiently. PONs are increasingly being integrated into fiber to the home (FTTH) and mobile backhaul and offers ability to support multiple services, including voice and video, that further enhances their appeal.
   

Single-Mode Optical Fiber Market Analysis

Based on the core, the market is segmented into single-core, dual-core, and multi-core.
 

• The single-core was the largest market and was valued at USD 2.2 billion in 2024. The growth of this segment is driven by the widespread legacy infrastructure compatibility, as major global telecom networks are designed with single core SMGs, which supports upgrades, without major system overhaul. In addition, these single core SMFs are widely adopted for long haul and metro networks due to their low attenuation and dispersion. Moreover, the rapid expansion of FTTH and 5G technology is further propelling the adoption of single mode optical fiber among telecom operators globally to ensure low latency.
   
• The multi-core is the fastest growing market and is projected to grow with a CAGR of 21.6% during the forecast period. The increasing demand for short reach and high density interconnectivity is a major growth driver for multi core cables, and are widely used in data center interconnects and board-level photonics, where compactness and bidirectional transmission is essential. In addition, these cables offer compact high fiber count cable design, which offers reduced bending loss and are therefore gaining rapid popularity for dense urban deployment and data centres. Furthermore, these cables are also increasingly used for emerging applications in sensing and optical switching that enables multi-channel measurement, which are use for in structural health monitoring and medical diagnostics.
   

Based on the deployment, the single-mode optical fiber market is bifurcated into underground, underwater, and utility poles.
 

• The underground was the largest market and was valued at USD 1.5 billion in 2024. The rapid urbanization and smart city projects are the major growth driver for underground deployments to reduce aesthetics and environmental impact, particularly in densely populated areas. Additionally, the increasing push toward network modernization along with the implementation of National broadband programs such as BEAD in the U.S. and BharatNet in India, that require fiber cables that is safe from weather and vandalism is further pushing the demand for underground installation.  Moreover, the growth in metro and inter city data transmission is further encouraging the deployment of underground cables for metro access rings, data center interconnects (DCIs), and industrial park to ensure consistent uptime and capacity.
   
• The underwater is the fastest growing market and is projected to grow with a CAGR of 20.9% during the forecast period. The growth in this market is driven by the emphasis towards global connectivity and global data traffic, which require low loss and high band width SMFs for transoceanic cables. In addition, several tech firms such as Google’s Equiano, Facebook’s 2Africa are further investing heavily in multi-terabit submarine networks, all of which require ultra-low loss SMFs to ensure extended reach and reliability. Moreover, the increasing adoption of space division multiplexing (SDM) based submarine cables is further spurring the demand for multi core and bundled SMFs for increased capacity and minimized cost per bit, which supports growth of this segment.
   

Based on the end use, the single-mode optical fiber market is categorized into government/defense, telecom operators, cloud providers, oil & gas, industrial automation, and others.
 

• The telecom providers was the largest market and was valued at USD 1.3 billion in 2024. The rapid rollout of 5G network and backhaul, which require ultra-low latency and high-bandwidth fiber backhaul for 5G small cells, macro cells, and core networks is a major growth driver. Also, the surge in deployment of fiber to the home (FTTH) & fiber to the premise (FTTP) in urban and rural areas is further fuelling the demand for single mode fiber in access networks. Additionally, the implementation of subsidy programs such as BEAD (U.S.), BharatNet (India), Digital Europe, and private sector investments are further encouraging the deployment of fiber networks at national level.
   
• The industrial automation is the fastest growing market and is projected to grow with a CAGR of 19.1% during the forecast period. The growth in this segment is driven by the focus towards factory digitalization and smart manufacturing that rely on SMFs to interconnect robotic systems, control units, and monitoring platforms in real time with reliable and interference-free links. Moreover, the integration of IIoT devices and edge data centres require SMFs for low latency connectivity and data offloading in industrial zones.
   

• The U.S. dominated the single-mode optical fiber market, accounting for USD 457.2 million in the year 2024. The nationwide rollout of 5G network by carriers such as Verizon and AT&T require massive backhaul capacity, which pushes the growth of single mode optical fiber due to its long distance and high bandwidth advantage. For instance, In September 2023, The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) is tackling 5G communication infrastructure and operational challenges through a $25 million investment to advance five convergent teams from Phase 1 to Phase 2 of NSF Convergence.  Additionally, the increasing funding programs from government such as BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) further supports the broadband expansion market. Moreover, the rapid expansion of hyperscale data center from Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, further propels the demand for interdata connectivity using long haul links.
   
• The Germany single-mode optical fiber market accounted for USD 67.3 million in the year 2024. The implementation of digital infrastructure programs such as gigabit strategy is pushing the demand for single mode optical fiber for FTTH. Also, several manufacturing industries are shifting towards industry 4.0 initiatives, which is encouraging the adoption of ultra reliable low latency communication (URLLC) networks backed by SMF to support autonomous production systems. Furthermore, the surge in demand for streaming and cloud services such as Netflix, Amazon, and cloud services further the supports the market expansion to ensure last-mile fiber rollouts.
   
• The single-mode optical fiber market in China is projected to reach USD 2.2 billion by the year 2034. The dominance of China in single mode optical fiber production with the presence of vertically integrated giants such as YOFC, FiberHome, and ZTT, which drives cost effective deployment of single mode optical fiber. Also, China is positioned as a leader in 5G infrastructure with over 2.3 million base stations, which pushes the demand for single mode optical fiber for high speed and low latency networks. Moreover, the rapid expansion of cloud services such as Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, and Huawei Cloud further relies on single mode optical fiber for data center connects, which further contributes to the market growth. 
   
• The Japan single-mode optical fiber market accounted for USD 92.7 million in 2024. The increasing focus of Japan towards modernization of aging infrastructure is pushing the demand for bend-insensitive, high-capacity SMF, to replace the earlier fiber deployment. Additionally, the push towards 8K broadcasting and AR/VR content further fuels the demand for ultra-low-latency, high-bandwidth fiber connections, which SMF supports. Also, the increasing focus towards network upgradation is propelling the demand for higher-capacity SMF for next-gen 8K streaming, gaming, and remote healthcare, all of which contributes to market growth.
   
• The India single-mode optical fiber market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of over 17.6% during the forecast period. The rising mobile and broadband users in India with over 850 million users coupled with the surge in demand for OTT and gaming services, the ISPs are emphasizing towards replacement of traditional DSL liners with advanced fiber cables. Additionally, the growing investment from private telecom companies such as Reliance Jio and Airtel towards 5G and FTTP infrastructure has created a massive demand for domestic single mode optic fiber.  
   

Single-Mode Optical Fiber Market Share

The single mode optical fiber industry is highly competitive and fragmented with the presence of established global players as well as local players and startups. The top 5 companies in the global single mode optical fiber market are Corning Incorporated, Prysmian Group, Yangtze Optical Fiber & Cable, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., and Fujikura, collectively accounting for over 57.8% market share. Leading companies in the market are investing in the next-generation single mode optical fiber solution which offers ultra-low attenuation, extended transmission distances, bend-insensitivity, and high-density cable integration. Also, there is a growing emphasis trend towards hyperconnectivity, including the widespread rollout of 5G infrastructure, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) projects, cloud data center interconnects, and smart city networks, which is driving key transformation in this market.  
 

The innovation in the market such as educed diameter fibers, bend-insensitive fibers, and multi-core SMFs for space-division multiplexing (SDM), are gaining rapid popularity among manufacturers to ensure superior capacity limits. Additionally, several key applications such as telecom backbone networks, 5G fronthaul/backhaul, data centres, industrial automation, and defense communications are further propelling the adoption of SMFs to ensure enhanced latency, scalability, and data integrity. Moreover, the increasing incorporation of optical monitoring, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), and fiber-based security systems is further spurring the adoption among both commercial and critical infrastructure sectors.
 

Single-Mode Optical Fiber Market Companies

The single mode optical fiber industry features several prominent players, including:

• Birla Furukawa
• CommScope
• Corning
• Fujikura
• Furukawa
• HTGD
• Humanetics
• LS Cable and System
• Nexans
• Prysmian
• Sumitomo Electric
• Yangtze Optical Fiber and Cable
   

Corning Incorporated is one of the world's biggest producers of single-mode optical fiber and is well-known for the innovation and performance of its products like the SMF-28 series. Corning excels in developing new generations of fiber and cable products that enable dense optical networks and inter-connected data centres. Corning’s strong R&D focus and advanced manufacturing ensures reliability and scalability, meeting demands from 5G, FTTH, and data center expansions.
 

Prysmian Group is a world leader in the production of single-mode optical fiber for telecommunications, data centres, and industrial networks. Its competitive advantage is based on low-loss fibers built for great distance and increasing traffic, long-range, high-capacity fibers resilience to attenuation. Innovation and a diverse regional market served make Prysmian’s wide manufacturing footprint remarkable.
 

Single-Mode Optical Fiber Industry News

• In March 2025, Corning introduced its latest single-mode fiber and cable solutions at OFC 2025, targeting the evolving needs of 5G networks and high-capacity data centers. These innovations focus on increased fiber density, improved bend performance, and easier installation, reinforcing Corning’s commitment to supporting global digital infrastructure expansion and maintaining its leadership in the optical fiber industry.
   
• In December 2022, SENKO Advanced Components partnered with Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. to develop the SN-MT connection system. This collaboration brings to market a high-performance optical interconnect solution designed for next-generation networks. The SN-MT system supports high-density, low-loss connections, meeting the needs of data centers, telecom, and enterprise networks seeking scalable, reliable single-mode fiber connectivity.

The single-mode optical fiber market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecasts in terms of revenue (USD Million) and volume (Megameter) from 2021 to 2034, for the following segments:

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By Core

• Single-core
• Dual-core
• Multi-core     

By Deployment

• Underground
• Underwater
• Utility poles  

By End Use

• Government/defense
• Telecom operators
• Cloud providers
• Oil & gas
• Industrial automation
• Others

The above information is provided for the following regions and countries:

• North America 
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe 
  • Germany
  • UK
  • France
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
• Asia Pacific 
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • South Korea
• Latin America 
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
• Middle East and Africa 
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • UAE