The 127 million km of bare fibre shipped to cable makers represents an increase of 26 percent over the 2006 quantity. This increase was accommodated by fibre-plant expansions, activation of unused capacity, or process improvements. Several major increases were announced in 2007, mainly by US and Asian manufacturers. With these increases, robust competition among fibre makers has continued, so that prices have remained stable or trended slightly downward. The range of spot prices also may be getting narrower, suggesting efficiency in the market or proximity to a cost "floor." In a series of more than 20 bare fibre price points reported by various vendors and customers, three are less than 8.00 dollars per km for G.652 fibre, and five are 9.00 dollars or more. The remainder fell between 8.00 dollars and 9.00 dollars. On the high end, there were three reports right at 9.00 dollars, one between 9.00 dollars and 9.25 dollars, and one greater than 9.50 dollars. The latter was a low-water peak fibre, and the price was reported in Euros and converted to dollars. As it happens, the median and the mean for the entire series both are 8.50 dollars, but there is insufficient data for deriving an average weighted by the quantity of fibre at each price.
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