Meta Platforms signed a multi-year supply agreement worth up to USD 6 billion with Corning Incorporated in January 2026 to secure fiber optic cabling for its AI-driven data center expansion, underscoring the scale of hyperscale demand now shaping a market that new research from FactMR values at USD 12.2 billion in 2025, with the Structured Cabling Market projected to reach USD 21.3 billion by 2036 — a 5.2% CAGR over the 2026–2036 forecast period.
The Meta-Corning deal isn't an isolated bet. Prysmian Group announced a €450 million investment to expand its own fiber optic capacity in March 2025, while Vocus Group completed a roughly A$5.25 billion acquisition of TPG Telecom's fiber assets and enterprise business in July 2025 to build scale in fiber and enterprise connectivity. CommScope, meanwhile, continues to lean on its end-to-end connectivity portfolio across data center and telecom accounts, and Nexans has built out its position in sustainable, high-performance cabling across Western Europe. Different moves, same underlying signal: capital is shifting decisively toward fiber as AI workloads redraw bandwidth requirements.
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Why Is Fiber Pulling Ahead of Copper in Data Centers?
Corning's own leadership has framed the shift in stark terms. "Data centers need 10 times more fiber for first generation AI," Corning Chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks said, describing the bandwidth demands of AI-driven infrastructure. FactMR's data backs that up: fiber optic cabling already held more than 64% of revenue share in 2025 and is expanding well ahead of copper, even as copper cabling — still favored for cost and compatibility in shorter-distance office deployments — retains a 56% share of overall cable-type consumption.
That transition is showing up in pricing, too. Copper prices climbed 6% to 6.5% quarter-on-quarter across late 2025 and early 2026, touching roughly USD 12,000 per metric ton, while fiber optic cabling — priced between USD 1.00 and USD 4.00 per foot versus roughly USD 0.15 to USD 0.60 per foot for standard and Cat6A copper — continues to gain ground on total-cost-of-ownership grounds in hyperscale and enterprise deployments.
Which Markets Are Driving Structured Cabling Demand?
Data centers now account for 35% to 40% of total structured cabling revenue, and hyperscale, colocation and edge facilities are pulling installation standards toward higher-density fiber architecture. Regionally, India is the standout growth market at a 10.8% CAGR through 2036, reflecting rapid data center expansion and enterprise digitalization, followed by China at 6.3% on the back of 5G deployment and hyperscale buildouts. Mature markets are moving more slowly: the U.S. is forecast to grow at 3.7% and Germany at 3.4%, with both driven largely by replacement and upgrade cycles rather than new installations.
FactMR analysts note the market's core dynamic isn't just about volume. "CXOs will find actionable insights on how fiber adoption, data center expansion, and regional demand shifts are reshaping competitive positioning," according to Shambhu Nath Jha of FactMR, who added that long-term investment strategy increasingly hinges on how quickly providers can pivot from copper-heavy portfolios toward fiber and services.
Structured Cabling Market Snapshot
2025 market value: USD 12.2 billion
2026 market value: USD 12.8 billion
2036 forecast value: USD 21.3 billion
CAGR, 2026–2036: 5.2%
Fiber optic share of revenue, 2025: 64%+
Data center share of total revenue: 35–40%
About the Report
The Structured Cabling Market report from FactMR covers market sizing and forecasts from 2026 to 2036 across component, cable type, application and region, drawing on more than 120 primary interviews with network architects, data center operators, telecom providers and cabling vendors, combined with standards-based desk research (ANSI/TIA-568, ISO/IEC 11801) and a hybrid top-down/bottom-up sizing model. Full segmentation, competitive profiling and country-level detail are available in the complete report. https://www.factmr.com/report/1030/structured-cabling-market
Demand Drivers
Hyperscale data center operators are investing in high-density fiber infrastructure to support AI and cloud workloads
Enterprises are upgrading legacy copper networks to higher-category cabling and fiber to meet rising bandwidth needs
Government broadband programs — including the U.S. BEAD Program, Germany's Gigabit Strategy and France's Très Haut Débit plan — are funding large-scale fiber rollouts
5G and smart-building deployments are pushing intelligent infrastructure requirements into new verticals beyond traditional IT
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About FactMR
FactMR is a market research and consulting firm headquartered at 11140 Rockville Pike, Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20852, United States, with an additional office in Dublin, Ireland. The firm provides syndicated and custom market research across technology, healthcare, industrial goods, consumer goods and other sectors. FactMR is an initiative of Eminent Research and Advisory Services.