Lit Fiber Market Outlook:
Lit Fiber Market size was over USD 6.22 billion in 2025 and is anticipated to cross USD 28.16 billion by 2035, witnessing more than 16.3% CAGR during the forecast period i.e., between 2026-2035. In the year 2026, the industry size of lit fiber is assessed at USD 7.13 billion.
In response to the growing need for mobile data and the arrival of 5G services, telecom service providers are actively acquiring existing fiber and investing in the development of new infrastructure. This is a reaction to the impending availability of 5G services.
More generally, the rollout of 5G is awaited to coincide with a rise in global data consumption. Estimates indicate that 2028 mobile data traffic will reach about 330 exabytes per month, more than tripling the amount used in 2022. By the end of 2023, 45% of the world's population is estimated to be covered by 5G and by 2029, that percentage is expected to rise to 85% or more.
In addition to these, two further factors that are said to fuel the growth of the dark fiber network industry over the anticipated period are the audience of users of portable devices' ever-increasing bandwidth requirements and cable providers' compulsory conversion to HD video quality.
