Dell’Oro Group Finds Broadband Access Revenue at $4.4 Billion in 1Q 2026 and 73% Wi-Fi 7 Router Growth

Dell’Oro Group says global revenue in the Broadband Access equipment market totaled $4.4 billion in 1Q 2026, up 2% year-over-year but down 8% versus 4Q 2025. The note links the quarterly pattern to resumed US cable operator spending on DOCSIS 4.0-related deployments.

Market Overview

In 1Q 2026, Dell’Oro Group reported total global revenue of $4.4 billion for the Broadband Access equipment market. The report characterized the quarter as higher than 1Q 2025 on a year-over-year basis, while declining from 4Q 2025.

The firm said major North American cable operators resumed spending on Distributed Access Architecture equipment tied to DOCSIS 4.0 evolution strategies. It also said operators increased purchases of residential Wi‑Fi 7 routers and gateways for multi-gig service tiers.

Key Findings

Jeff Heynen, vice president with Dell’Oro Group, said, “Cable operators paused their spending on DAA equipment in 2025 as they waited on upgraded platforms that incorporate the Unified DOCSIS 4.0 chipset.” He added, “With those platforms available, US cable operators are moving ahead quickly with their network evolution strategies and entering a phase of relatively high capital intensity.”

Within the report’s 1Q 2026 Broadband Access and Home Networking quarterly highlights, Dell’Oro Group cited changes across PON and home networking equipment categories. It reported new shipment activity for 50 Gbps PON OLT ports and ONTs, plus continued growth in PON OLT port spending.

Technology and Supplier Activity

Dell’Oro Group reported Chinese vendors made their first shipments of 50 Gbps PON OLT ports and ONTs, with “over 150 pilot projects” going live. It said the deployments include “enterprise campus, manufacturing facility, and high-end residential community” use cases.

The report also stated that spending on PON OLT ports increased 6% year-over-year as operators expand 10 Gbps capabilities through XG-PON and XGS-PON. For home equipment, it said residential Wi‑Fi 7 router shipments jumped 73% year-over-year due to lower-cost dual-band units shipping in China and Southeast Asia.

Home Networking Demand

Dell’Oro Group attributed the residential Wi‑Fi 7 router increase to both vendor pricing and customer procurement timing in the US. It said US operators pulled forward purchases to support “their multi-gig service offerings.”

Separately, the firm’s market framing linked the broader Broadband Access equipment spending pattern to cable operator platform availability for Unified DOCSIS 4.0. The note connects renewed DAA spending with those upgraded platforms becoming available.

Conclusion

Overall, the Dell’Oro Group report places 1Q 2026 Broadband Access equipment performance in the context of DOCSIS 4.0-related platform readiness for cable operators and ongoing equipment movement across PON and residential Wi‑Fi 7. This Analyst Signals brief reflects a neutral, fact-based summary of the original research note.