The global market for optical networking technology has been rising continuously and is showing signs of growing even in difficult economic conditions, says a new report from Indian research firm Koncept Analytics. The report states that an underlying shift within the network is a becoming a ‘significant’ driver of growth, while the telecom bubble burst has given a further push to the optical networking industry by making a strong market for metro wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) equipment. Even though overall growth within the telecom industry being described as ‘stagnant’, growth within the next-generation technologies segment is singled out as being positive, with rising demand for IPTV and higher broadband speeds driving industry demand. In addition, the current macroeconomic environment has not affected much of spending on WDM and submarine demand, with the submarine fibre optics systems market being driven by the record growth of the internet, new devices and broadband services.