Despite component constraints, worldwide cable modem market shipments totaled nearly 2 million units in the second quarter of 2000, according to Dataquest. While many manufacturers did well in the quarter, some vendors could not fulfill demand because of a shortage on key parts.
"Given constraints on the availability of RF tuners, flash memory, among other components, most vendors reported that they could have shipped at least 30 to 35% more units in the face of unquenchable worldwide demand for broadband cable access devices," said Patti Reali, senior analyst for the research firm's e-Remote Access Worldwide program.
According to Dataquest's research, Motorola Broadband Communications remained atop the leader board with 32.5% of the market (see Table 1). The company continued to do well in the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) space, where it was also the No. 1 vendor. More vendors are entering the DOCSIS segment, so Dataquest analysts said Motorola Broadband Communications should expect to see increasing challenges in this market.
Dataquest analysts see some easing of component shortages and growth rates of 40% next quarter and 45% in the fourth quarter of 2000. If this happens, the research group believes that worldwide cable modem shipments have the potential to achieve 10 million units by the end of 2000.
Additional analysis is available in the Dataquest Alert "Global Cable Modem Shipments Flirt With 2 Million Mark, Register 35 Percent Growth During 2Q00 Despite Component Shortages." Dataquest, www.dataquest.com.
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