IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Networks Tracker reported that for the first quarter of 2012 the global Ethernet switch market hit $5.1 billion in revenue, a 7.4 percent gain on a year over year (YOY) basis. In contrast, the global router market only grew by 2.8 percent.
One of the bright spots for the switch market is the continued growth of 10 gigabit Ethernet (GbE). According to IDC, 10GbE is now the driver of overall switch market growth. In the first quarter, 2.8 million 10GbE ports were shipped and revenue increased by 20.6 percent YOY.