2014/04/01 Infinera, Fujitsu, Cisco, Ciena, and Huawei top Infonetics’ new optical networking vendor scorecard

 Boston, MASSACHUSETTS, March 26, 2014—Market research firm Infonetics Research released excerpts from its new Optical Network Hardware Vendor Scorecard, which profiles, analyzes, and ranks the 10 largest global vendors of optical transport equipment: Alcatel-Lucent, Ciena, Cisco, Coriant, ECI Telecom, Fujitsu, Huawei, Infinera, NEC, and ZTE.

The 30-page scorecard evaluates vendors entirely on criteria using actual data and metrics, such as direct feedback from service providers, market share data, and publicly available financial data. This approach eliminates subjective scoring and ensures vendors are assessed accurately and fairly. The report answers such questions as: Who is the top scoring vendor overall? Who are the top vendors by criteria (market share, R&D investment, service and support, etc.)? What are each vendor’s strengths and weaknesses?

For a limited time, service providers can purchase Infonetics’ optical vendor scorecard for $1,000 (normally $5,000) to see how the top optical vendors rank in each of 7 key criteria, as well as in relation to one another. Contact Infonetics for details: http://www.infonetics.com/contact.asp.

ANALYST NOTE

“We wanted to create an objective measurement of the largest companies in the optical area that allows service providers to see the relative strengths and weaknesses of vendors. Unlike other analyst ranking approaches, our scorecard takes an entirely quantitative approach that removes subjectivity and best reflects the opinion of service providers and the market,” notes Andrew Schmitt, principal analyst for optical at Infonetics Research.

Schmitt continues: “Looking at the results, what really sets the vendors apart is financial stability and changes in market share as a result of some vendors capitalizing on the shift to optical transport networking (OTN) and coherent networking. Service provider feedback was also a key differentiator, particularly positive for Ciena, Fujitsu, and Infinera.”

OPTICAL NETWORK VENDOR SCORECARD HIGHLIGHTS

• With very high ratings for technology innovation, reliability, and service and support, Infinera received the highest overall score for optical transport equipment
• Fujitsu finished just a hair behind Infinera thanks to solid scores across the board and its strong 2013 revenue growth and packet-optical sales to tier-1 North American service providers
• Cisco secured 3rd place with consistent rankings across all criteria
• Viewed by most as the leader in the optical networking world, Ciena ranked 4th in Infonetics’ optical vendor scorecard, as its relatively high scores in categories like market share and momentum were offset by a low financial stability rating
• The largest supplier of optical hardware worldwide, Huawei, rounds out the top 5, chalking up a perfect score for market share, but limited by a poor market share momentum score 

Source: Infonetics Research