Huawei Gains Optical Ground in North America

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. has cracked the North American optical transport market and could be poised to attract business in larger and larger carriers, according to a new Heavy Reading report.

Huawei has had its share of wins in developing countries but "has been a non-factor in North America to date," analyst Sterling Perrin writes in the report, "Optical Networking for Tier 2/3 Operators in North America."

That status has changed in the past two years, though. Thanks in particular to long-haul DWDM work, Huawei has crept up to become the No. 7 supplier of optical gear to the Tier 2 and 3 North American camp.

Competitors tend to dismiss Huawei's North American prospects, but Perrin believes the company's standing is no fluke.

"Once the door is opened (and it has), it is not difficult to imagine Huawei working its way into bigger networks over time," he writes.

"Over time" could be a shorter period than some think. Infinera Corp. (Nasdaq: INFN), which didn't have a product on the market five years ago, ran away with nearly 60 percent of the Tier 2/3 long-haul DWDM business in North America in the first half of this year, Perrin writes.

The report summarizes market-share figures and profiles three major operators in the North American Tier 2/3 category: AboveNet Inc. (NYSE: ABVT), Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative , and SureWest Communications (Nasdaq: SURW). It also includes profiles of 10 optical vendors.

— Craig Matsumoto, West Coast Editor, Light Reading