BOSTON – Global wireline equipment sales grew nearly 21% in the fourth quarter of 2007, and were up 18% for the full year, reports research firm Ovum.
 
The optical networking, switching and routing, and cable TV segments were each up at least 19%, and the DSLAM segment managed a 3% gain.
 
Wireline service provider capex was $32.6 billion, up 15.1% year-over-year; optical networking segment revenues were $4.4 billion, up 30.4%; switching and routing segment revenues were $3 billion, up 19%; cable TV equipment segment revenues were $850 million, up 24.4%, and broadband equipment revenues were $1.1 billion, down 4.2% year-over-year.
 
“Fears that service providers would reduce spending preemptively due to recession worries proved unfounded,” said John Lively, vice president, network infrastructure at Ovum. “Global spending on wireline equipment grew by nearly 9% in the fourth quarter of 2007, as service providers like AT&T, Comcast, KDDI, KPN, Swisscom and TeliaSonera continued to invest in network capabilities in support of new services. ”