BSRIA, an authority on structured cabling and building services markets, has released its latest analysis of the global structured cabling sector. The Structured Cabling Worldwide 2026 report,covering 34 countries, points to a market driven by data centre investment.

The global structured cabling market grew 21% in 2025 to $9.08 billion, adding $1.3 billion in a single year and building on almost 11% growth in 2024. The data centre segment was the main driver of that growth, increasing by 54% in 2025, as AI infrastructure investment continues to push cabling demand higher. Data centres now account for more than 41% of all cabling installed, almost double the 21% share they held in the 2015 to 2018 period. Markets including Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and India recorded strong growth.

Data centre growth across all segments

The US delivered the strongest growth of any market, with sales up 44% year-on-year and the country accounting for almost nine in ten dollars (89%) of the total global value increase in 2025. The US also holds more than two-thirds (69%) of the global data centre cabling market, fourteen times the size of second-placed China. Germany, the UK, Australia and India follow as the next data centre markets.

While hyperscalers were the largest contributor to US growth, all data centre segments increased. Some of the US figures reflect products shipped from American hyperscalers into Canada, Latin America and Europe, so the headline numbers slightly overstate domestic installation. Even allowing for that, the gap between the US and the rest of the world has widened. China is the exception, taking a separate path for reasons explored below. Suppliers dealing directly with hyperscalers have been among the main beneficiaries of the increase in US data centre revenues.

 A market splitting into two tracks

Cabling demand is splitting into two tracks. Data centre work is dominated by large-scale projects, high in value and concentrated in a handful of suppliers. The LAN market is the backbone of most commercial buildings, providing connectivity and power to desks, Wi-Fi and security systems. LAN sales grew 2% in 2024 and 5% in 2025 as the sector recovered from the supply chain disruption that followed Covid-19.

Regional LAN performance varied. The Americas hold almost half (45%) of the LAN market and grew 9% in 2025, driven by the US and Canada. Asia Pacific contracted by 1.9%, held back by a 7% decline in China linked to a 17% fall in non-residential construction that hit offices and manufacturing in particular. India and Southeast Asia performed well against that regional drag.

Lone Hansen, manager IT cabling, BACS & associated technologies at BSRIA, said: “The shape of this market has changed in a short space of time. Data centres are where most of the value growth is, and the US is pulling further ahead because of investment in AI infrastructure across all data centre segments. The LAN side of the market is doing the essential work of connecting offices, powering desks, supporting WLAN and keeping security systems running, and that demand is steady rather than spectacular.” 

Copper holds its ground as Cat 6A overtakes Cat 6

She added: “Copper has held up better than people expected. LAN cabling is essential for connectivity and power to desks, Wi-Fi and security systems, and Cat 6A has now overtaken Cat 6 in global sales. Material cost rises in the second half of 2025 pushed prices up, which has shifted the commercial conversation as much as the technical one.”

China takes a different route in AI data centres

China’s AI data centres are following a different path. Direct Attach Cables account for more than the majority (90 to 95%) of connections there, chosen for their lower cost and shorter lead times. Structured cabling plays a smaller role in those builds than it does in the US and other regions, with commercial implications for suppliers planning Asia Pacific strategy.

The report covers the global structured cabling market across copper and fibre cable and connectivity, and associated components, with sales data, supplier shares and forecasts for both data centre and LAN segments.