North America salvages Ethernet switch market in Q2-13

BOSTON, USA: Market research firm Infonetics Research released vendor market share and analysis from its 2nd quarter (2Q13) Ethernet Switches report.

"In the second quarter of 2013, global Ethernet switch sales grew from a seasonally slow first quarter, but not enough to drive year-over-year growth," reports Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst for enterprise networks and video at Infonetics Research.

"North America, the largest region for Ethernet switches, was the bright spot, with revenue jumping 15 per cent sequentially," continues Machowinski.

"However, weak economic conditions persist in EMEA and demand is slowing in China and Japan, tempering overall growth," added Machowinski.

2Q13 Ethernet switch market highlights:

• Globally, the Ethernet switch market was up 6pc in 2Q13, to $5 billion

• 10G ports recovered after a temporary dip in 1Q13, and are up 39pc from the year-ago quarter

• 40G Ethernet is growing rapidly: On the heels of over 1,000pc growth in 2012, 40G port shipments doubled again sequentially in 2Q13

• The new 100G Ethernet switch segment tripled from the previous quarter, thanks to broader availability of 100G solutions

• Alcatel-Lucent, Enterasys and Juniper all posted strong (+20pc) sequential revenue gains in 2Q13