# The Fibre Shortage and Why Capacity Planning Can’t Wait.
  **Published on:** March 24, 2026
  
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For those who have heard me speak about ScaleFibre, you will know that I’ve talked a lot about the technical features and aspects of SmartRIBBON and our other optical cables. But today, I want to talk about a more pressing, physical reality facing our industry: we are running out of fibre. 

What started as tightening of capacity has evolved into a sustained global shortage, without a doubt the worst I have seen. If you’ve noticed lead times stretching from weeks into months, or quotes expiring faster than you can get them approved, you’re feeling the ripple effects of a market stretched to its breaking point.

But, it's best you buckle up - because it's going to get worse before it gets better. Prices are absolutely increasing in a crazy fashion, and there is no doubt that many customers will have trouble getting any fibre allocation at all.

## Why is there a shortage?

It’s a "perfect storm" scenario. The shortage isn't down to just one factor; it’s a combination of unprecedented demand and manufacturing constraints.

The explosion of generative AI has triggered a massive build-out of hyper-scale data centres. These facilities require astronomical amounts of high-density fibre to connect GPUs and servers.
Combine this with a series of worldwide, "Broadband for All" initiatives and 5G densification projects, and the world is consuming the global supply faster than factories increase capacity.
We aren't just short on optical fibre. There have been significant shortages in the supply of precursor, such as high-purity helium (used in the drawing process).

## The Real-World Impact

Many cabling companies are unable to obtain any singlemode optical fibre at all. It's going to be a struggle for those companies and their customers for some time.

This also provides the challenge of uncertainty. We are now seeing project delays that will absolutely stall projects. For clients with contractors on the ground, this means teams are ready to go, but the drums haven't arrived - and maybe they won't for some time.

Beyond timing, we are seeing a shift in project viability. When you can't get the specific high-count cable you designed for, you’re forced to settle for whatever is in stock—often leading to inefficient duct usage and higher long-term costs. There's also a good chance there's nothing in stock - even surplus cables are disappearing from the market.

## The Price of Admission

The most apparent impact is price. Whatever you were paying yesterday, be prepared to pay three or four times as much. The fibre spot price has increased over 270% in the past few weeks, and it doesn't show signs of slowing. 

It shouldn't come as a surprise that as supply thins, prices climb. We are seeing triple-digit percentage increases in the cost of raw optical fibre. Logistics costs have also remained volatile (thanks largely to the Iran war), meaning the price of a cable today might not be the price of a cable in two weeks. 

For hyperscalers, operators and ISPs, this means the cost is shifting, requiring a complete recalibration of CAPEX budgets.

## Why Customers Need to Engage Now

We cannot solve a shortage by waiting for it to end. To ensure capacity growth and keep the wheels of the digital economy turning, we need a shift in how we engage with our partners. 

**Passive procurement is no longer an option.** To guarantee that your 2026 and 2027 projects actually have the glass they need, we need to be talking today. And, to be frank, you probably need to be placing orders.

To be successful in obtaining capacity and supply, customers need to move away from transactional orders and toward long-term capacity planning. Where we understand your demand and have certainty, we can allocate capacity as needed. Even better, we can leverage the forward demand to increase our capacity for you. I cannot overstate this - if you want to ensure capacity, you need to be engaging now to reserve it.

By engaging with us early on design, we can help you choose fibre types that are more commonly made (like our Mini Loose Tube or SmartRIBBON designs) rather than niche designs which will mean we need to change line configurations.

When we know your roadmap, we can reserve manufacturing slots and manage raw material intake to insulate your projects from the worst of the market volatility.

The shortage is a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity to build more resilient, planned-out networks. Let’s talk about how we can secure your capacity for the year ahead.


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