Layer 2/3 managed Ethernet switch market up 23.5% in 2004

The Layer 2/3 managed Ethernet switch market grew 23.5% in revenues and 23.8% in port shipments from 2003 to 2004, "="" class="c-regularLink" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">reports In-Stat. While Fast Ethernet continued to represent the greatest overall number of ports shipped, the transition to newer generations of switch technology marched on. GigE is now a mainstream switching technology and 10GbE grew exponentially in 2004. Cisco continued to lead the L2/3 managed Ethernet switch market in both port shipments and revenue in 2004, followed by HP, 3Com, and Nortel. D-Link led the unmanaged Ethernet switch market, followed by Linksys (Cisco) and Netgear. The unmanaged Ethernet switch market consists of both "pure" unmanaged Ethernet switches as well as Ethernet ports contained in broadband CPE. The L2/3 managed Ethernet switch market is expected to grow a more sedate 10% over the course of 2005 and achieve an overall Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of roughly 12% over the next five years.