The material testing equipment market has stabilized and is now in recovery, according to a new study from Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert). That is good news for communication testing equipment providers, who are seeing renewed interest from typical end-user industries.

The material testing equipment market saw $495.6 million in revenue during 2010 and it may be as high as $591.1 million during 2015, according to Frost & Sullivan. The overall market saw losses during the recession.

"2009 was one of the most difficult periods for the material testing market," Frost & Sullivan Program Manager Vijay Mathew said in a statement. "However, demand from traditionally strong users of material testing equipment such as automotive, aerospace, primary metals, and plastics have helped the industry bounce back."

In addition, new uses in biomedical, composites, medical devices and nanotechnology could increase revenues in future years, according to Frost & Sullivan.

"The material testing market comprises a range of competitors of varying size and reach," Mathew said. "The top three market participants occupy a significant amount of market and mind share and drive critical parameters that define this market, such as price points and regulatory and standardization trends, making it difficult for emerging participants to gain a foothold."

Smaller firms may be more successful by focusing on emerging opportunities, the study added.

"With the emergence of new application markets and technology areas, niche opportunities do exist," Mathew said. "Also, certain customers located in certain geographies prefer working with local test equipment vendors rather than multinational organizations."

In related news, Trilithic announced that the Wild-Cat Ethernet Cable Tester is now being offered. It measures the performance of CAT3, CAT5e, and CAT6 Ethernet cable. It adheres to ANSI/TIA/ EIA-568-B and ISO/IEC (News - Alert) standards.

It has auto test functions, including wire map, length, propagation delay, DC loop resistance, and insertion loss. Detailed reporting is also offered through Ethernet Cable Tester software, the company said.