WASHINGTON, D.C.—As telcos and cable operators race to increase internet access speeds, new data from Fiber Broadband Association shows that the supply chain issues bedeviling the industry in 2022 are easing, with up to 92% faster lead times in some fiber broadband equipment categories.
“This latest supply chain information is encouraging for fiber broadband providers today that are building reliable, high-speed fiber broadband networks to connect their communities and close the digital equity gap,” said Gary Bolton, president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. “However, our Supply Chain Working Group does caution that while it is reporting current relief in the supply chain, it expects to see an uptick in demand going forward. Therefore, it encourages companies to continue to put a hard focus on long-range planning and to follow FBA mitigation strategies presented in the white paper.”
FBA’s updated Supply Chain white paper, titled “Strategies to Mitigate Bottlenecks in the Current Fiber Broadband Supply Chain,” was created to help companies carefully plan to overcome supply chain challenges and build more robust systems and processes to buffer them from future challenges and keep fiber projects on target, the group said.
The latest data shows improved lead times in several key fiber broadband component categories:
- 92% decrease in minimum lead times for fiber optic cables (from 52-60 weeks in Summer 2022 to 4-10 weeks as of March 2023).
- 60% decrease in minimum lead times for fiber cabinets and splitters (from 10-20 weeks in Summer 2022 to 4-8 weeks as of March 2023).
- 80% decrease in minimum lead times for fiber multiport terminals (from 20-35 weeks in Summer 2022 to 4-8 weeks as of March 2023).
- 80% decrease in minimum lead times for conduit (from 15-20 weeks in Summer 2022 to 3-7 weeks as of March 2023).
- 64% decrease in minimum lead times for hand holes (from 22-26 weeks in Summer 2022 to 8-14 weeks as of March 2023).
- 67% decrease in minimum lead times for home equipment (from 12-24 weeks in Summer 2022 to 4-10 weeks as of March 2023).
FBA will present a webinar to review the updates to the “Strategies to Mitigate Bottlenecks in the Current Fiber Broadband Supply Chain” white paper on May 9, at 11:00am EDT. Registration information can be found here.
