North American broadband operators are pouring money into fiber network equipment, defying a broader slowdown in the global broadband access market, according to a new report from Dell’Oro Group.

The market research firm found that total worldwide revenue for broadband equipment reached $4.5 billion in the second quarter of 2026, down 3% from a year earlier. North America bucked that trend, with operators pressing ahead on major fiber and DOCSIS 4.0 upgrades even as ongoing memory and component shortages pushed up the cost of both network infrastructure and customer premises equipment.

Fiber was the clear standout. Spending on passive optical network (PON) equipment across North America jumped 26% year over year, marking three straight quarters of growth. Dell’Oro Group Vice President Jeff Heynen said the current pace of PON investment is “reminiscent of the boom year of 2022.”

Heynen attributed much of the fiber surge to broadband providers pulling equipment purchases forward. As average selling prices climb for optical line terminals (OLTs) and optical network terminals (ONTs), providers are buying ahead of further increases to keep their fiber builds and service turn-ups on schedule.

Cable operators are also leaning into fiber-deep architectures. Shipments of cable remote OLT ports soared 190% year over year, while combined revenue for Remote PHY Devices and remote OLT platforms climbed 63% as broadband operators modernize their networks and extend fiber further into their footprints.

Other segments told a more mixed story. Residential Wi-Fi 7 router shipments grew 62%, lifted by lower-cost dual-band units in Asian markets and by U.S. operators stocking up to support multi-gig plans. Fixed wireless access customer equipment shipments fell 12%, driven largely by a sales slowdown in North America.