A new Dell'Oro Group report revealed that broadband equipment hit a 20-year low. To be able to judge whether a fiber optic cable plant is good, one does a insertion loss test with a light source and power meter and compares that to an estimate of what is a reasonable loss for that cable plant. The estimate, called a "loss budget" is calculated using typical component losses for. The fiber optic cable market is surging to $32. 5 billion by 2030, driven by data centers, 5G, and IoT. While APAC leads with a 58% share in. Fiber optic cables are needed for backhaul and fronthaul connectivity because they provide the required bandwidth for 5G base stations and small cell networks. 21% during the forecast period from 2026 to 2035.