Spending on cable DAA equipment surges 40 percent YoY

The total global revenue for the Broadband Access equipment market reached $4.4 B in 1Q 2026, up 2 percent year-over-year YoY but down 8 percent from 4Q 2025, according to Dell’Oro. Major North American cable operators resumed their spending on DAA equipment as part of their DOCSIS 4.0 network evolution strategies, while operators also accelerated their purchases of residential Wi-Fi 7 routers and gateways to support their multi-gig service tiers.

“Cable operators paused their spending on DAA equipment in 2025 as they waited on upgraded platforms that incorporate the Unified DOCSIS 4.0 chipset,” said Jeff Heynen, Vice President with Dell’Oro Group. “With those platforms available, US cable operators are moving ahead quickly with their network evolution strategies and entering a phase of relatively high capital intensity,” explained Heynen.

Additional highlights from the 1Q 2026 Broadband Access and Home Networking quarterly report:

• Chinese vendors reported their first shipments of 50 Gbps PON OLT ports and ONTs, as over 150 pilot projects went live. These projects include enterprise campus, manufacturing facility, and high-end residential community deployments.
• Spending on PON OLT ports increased 6 percent Y/Y, as operators continue to expand their 10 Gbps capabilities through XG-PON and XGS-PON.
• Residential Wi-Fi 7 Router shipments jumped 73 percent Y/Y, driven by lower-cost dual-band units shipping in China and Southeast Asia, as well as US operators pulling forward purchases to support their multi-gig service offerings.

Dell’Oro