Packet-optical transport market seen reaching $25.95B by 2030

By AI, Created 9:55 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – The packet-optical transport market is forecast to grow from $14.49 billion in 2025 to $25.95 billion by 2030, driven by rising data traffic, 5G buildouts, hyperscale data centers and edge networks. North America led in 2025, while Asia-Pacific is expected to post the fastest growth.

Why it matters: - Packet-optical transport sits at the center of network capacity upgrades as carriers and cloud operators try to move more data with less latency. - The market’s projected growth signals rising demand for scalable optical infrastructure tied to 5G, data centers and edge computing.

What happened: - The Business Research Company published its Packet-Optical Transport Global Market Report 2026, covering market size, trends and forecasts through 2035. - The report estimates the packet-optical transport market reached $14.49 billion in 2025 and will rise to $16.25 billion in 2026. - The report projects the market will reach $25.95 billion by 2030, implying a 12.4% CAGR during the forecast period. - North America was the largest regional market in 2025. - Asia-Pacific is expected to post the highest growth rate over the forecast period. - The report covers Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East and Africa. - The company offered a free sample of the report and a full version of the report.

The details: - Packet-optical transport combines packet switching and optical transport in one networking platform. - The architecture is designed to move large volumes of data across metro and long-distance networks. - The system aims to improve bandwidth efficiency, reduce network complexity and lower operating costs while preserving high scalability and speed. - The market’s historical growth reflects rising internet traffic, broader fiber optic rollout, stronger demand for high-speed broadband, growth in cloud data centers and wider use of wavelength division multiplexing systems. - Future growth is expected to be supported by accelerated deployment of 5G and 6G technologies, investment in hyperscale data centers, demand for low-latency connections, expansion of edge computing networks and the need for high-capacity optical transport. - Expected trends include wider adoption of open and disaggregated optical systems, convergence of packet-optical platforms, more high-capacity metro and data center interconnect networks, expansion of 5G backhaul and fronthaul infrastructure and tighter integration between optical and packet layer management. - The report points to growing data traffic worldwide as a key driver of demand. - In September 2024, the GSMA reported global monthly mobile data traffic per connection rose from 10.2 GB in 2022 to 12.8 GB in 2023. - Rising video streaming consumption, especially high-definition and on-demand content, is increasing bandwidth pressure on networks. - Packet-optical systems help carriers handle that demand by combining packet routing with high-capacity optical networking.

Between the lines: - The forecast suggests network operators are shifting toward architectures that can scale faster than legacy transport systems. - The emphasis on open systems and tighter layer integration points to a broader industry push for flexibility, efficiency and lower operating complexity. - The regional split suggests mature markets are still buying capacity, while newer deployments are likely to drive faster expansion in Asia-Pacific.

What’s next: - The market will likely track continued 5G deployment, early 6G planning and ongoing cloud infrastructure spending. - Growth should also depend on how quickly operators upgrade backbone, metro and data center interconnect networks. - The Business Research Company also highlighted related reports on online microtransaction, bioinformatics platform and commercial quantum computing solutions markets.

The bottom line: - Packet-optical transport is moving from a niche infrastructure layer to a core enabler of higher-capacity, lower-latency networks.