5G Fixed Wireless CPE Unit Shipments Up 11 Percent in 2025 while PON CPE Unit Shipments Increased 4 Percent
According to a recently published report from Dell’Oro Group, the trusted source for market information about the telecommunications, security, networks, and data center industries, total global revenue for the Broadband Access equipment market increased to $4.8 B in 4Q 2025, up 7 percent Q/Q and 2 percent year-over-year (Y/Y). Though the spending acceleration in the quarter was not enough to push 2025 into positive Y/Y growth, it was an early indicator of what is expected to be a strong 2026.
“2025 ended up being the final year of a three-year cycle of reduced spending on broadband access equipment,” said Jeff Heynen, Vice President with Dell’Oro Group. “Over the last three years, broadband service providers have been carefully managing their equipment spending, focusing on subscriber acquisition and more measured footprint expansions. As a result, there was a clear shift in spend away from infrastructure and towards CPE,” explained Heynen.
Additional highlights from the 4Q 2025 Broadband Access and Home Networking quarterly report:
- PON ONT unit shipments reached 158 M, with nearly all regions notching significant Y/Y gains to support new subscriber growth.
- Spending on DOCSIS infrastructure declined 21 percent from 2024, with spending on Remote PHY Devices dropping 47 percent for the year. Spending is expected to increase significantly throughout 2026, as major MSOs accelerate their DAA and DOCSIS 4.0 upgrades.
- Residential Wi-Fi 7 Router shipments jumped 211 percent in 2025, driven by lower-cost dual-band units shipping in China and Southeast Asia.
