The submarine fibre-optic telecoms cable market is poised for significant growth, with global investment and expenditure projected to rise from $7.96 billion in 2023 to $9.8 billion by 2029, according to Analysys Mason’s Submarine Cable Market: Worldwide Forecast 2023–2029.
Driving this growth are hyperscalers investing in new routes to launch regional services and manage costs as well as the increasing traffic demands on key routes and a focus on enhancing the resilience of international communications through route diversity.
The trans-Pacific and intra-Asia-Pacific routes are expected to dominate new deployments between 2024 and 2029, accounting for the largest share of cable length. While annual investments in new systems will see steady growth, the ongoing operation and maintenance of existing systems—spurred by an expanding global cable network—will represent 41 percent of the market by 2029, the report said.
The research underscores robust demand for physical cables and capacity expansion while highlighting opportunities for submarine cable services. For investors, the report emphasizes the importance of route diversity and notes that spare capacity could exert downward pressure on prices.
