A new opportunity for optical communication companies. On May 25th, China Telecom announced the commencement of a centralized prequalification for the bulk procurement of products including outdoor optical cables, drop cables, primary trunk optical cables, and trunk optical cable splice closures. This marks the first large-scale group-level optical cable procurement project by an operator this year, attracting significant attention.
According to the announcement, the products procured by China Telecom are primarily intended for various fiber optic cable construction projects scheduled for 2026-2027. The specific procurement quantities were not disclosed, with the statement indicating that actual purchase volumes and models will be determined based on individual projects covered under this centralized prequalification.
Specifically, for outdoor optical cables, China Telecom is procuring mainly GYTA, GYTS, GYDTA, and GYDXTW types. For drop cables, the focus is on butterfly drop cables, round drop cables, invisible cables, and indoor/outdoor drop cables. Regarding primary trunk optical cables, the procurement centers on G.654.E and G.652.D type products. For trunk optical cable splice closures, the main types are dome-style and horizontal-style splice closures.
Group-level procurement of outdoor optical cables and drop cables by China Telecom typically occurs annually. However, after announcing the initiation of related product procurement in 2025, the project did not materialize for unknown reasons. This led various provincial and municipal branches of China Telecom to conduct emergency procurements for products like outdoor optical cables and drop cables from late 2025 to the present to meet regional cable construction demands.
Nevertheless, in October 2025, China Telecom's centralized procurement project for primary trunk optical cables and splice closures for 2025-2026 was successfully executed. The trunk optical cable package was awarded to Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable, Zhongtian Technology, FiberHome Telecommunication Technologies, and Hengtong Optic-Electric. The trunk optical cable splice closure package was secured by Tongding Interconnection.