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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →In April 2021, broadband-router suppliers told some carriers to expect waits of up to 60 weeks—more than twice the previous lead times. The figure was a quoted maximum during the COVID-era semiconductor shortage, not a measure of router availability today. The delay showed how chip, factory and shipping constraints could threaten providers’ ability to connect new subscribers.
What the 60-week router delay meant
Bloomberg reported on April 9, 2021, that broadband providers were being quoted router order times as long as 60 weeks. Zyxel said chip lead times, including for components from Broadcom, had doubled to a year or more, prompting it to advise customers to order a year ahead. The 60 weeks was the longest reported quote, not a universal wait for every router or carrier. Bloomberg report reproduced by Data Center Knowledge, April 9, 2021.
The concern was operational as well as logistical: without the right routers, a broadband provider could be unable to add new subscribers and lose sales. No carrier had completely run out of routers when the report appeared, but Zyxel described the supply chain as strained and warned that the pressure could continue for six months. Its European regional business head, Karsten Gewecke, said carriers had come close to running out and that it could still happen.
Why router orders were delayed
The shortage combined several constraints rather than a single missing chip. Coronavirus-related factory shutdowns interrupted production; demand for better home-broadband equipment rose as work-from-home needs persisted; and supply remained uneven after factories reopened. Shipping disruption compounded the problem.
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- Semiconductor and component shortages: Scarce silicon wafers, memory and power-management components constrained the parts used in broadband equipment.
- Capacity and allocation: Foundries had limited production capacity and directed it toward more profitable work. Routers generally offered lower margins than smartphones and computers, leaving lower-margin router segments and smaller telecom operators more exposed. Large enterprises had more purchasing power to secure supply.
- Shipping costs: The 2021 Bloomberg report said shipping costs had risen as much as ten times their earlier levels after factories restarted.
- Demand outpaced supply: A prolonged surge in demand met factories and logistics networks that could not respond smoothly. Zyxel’s Gewecke called it a “snowball effect,” saying the situation had worsened.
What the reported numbers show
These figures describe different parts of the 2021 shortage. They are not interchangeable measures of how long a consumer would wait for a home router.
| Figure | What it measured | Source and context |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 60 weeks | Quoted order time for broadband routers; more than twice earlier waits. | Bloomberg, April 2021, reporting on carrier orders. |
| One year or more | Lead time for chips such as Broadcom components, as reported by Zyxel. | Zyxel, as quoted by Bloomberg in 2021. |
| 90% | Broadcom’s 2021 supply said to have already been ordered. | Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, as reported by Bloomberg in 2021. |
| 300% | Chipset-vendor capacity overbooking described to Zyxel. | Karsten Gewecke, as quoted by Bloomberg in 2021. |
| 181% | Reported one-year share increase for Zyxel parent Unizyx Holding. | Bloomberg, 2021. |
The figures underscore that long router waits sat downstream of competition for components and manufacturing capacity; they do not establish that every supplier faced the same conditions.
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How broadly the disruption affected broadband equipment
A December 3, 2021 petition filed by NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association showed that supply constraints remained a concern later that year. Its survey findings covered more than routers, including customer-premises equipment and performance-testing equipment. The petition also quoted industry groups describing impacts across communications equipment and variation from supplier to supplier. NTCA petition filed with the FCC, December 3, 2021.
| Survey finding | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Respondents reporting customer-premises-equipment delays | 27% |
| Respondents reporting 20%–60% price increases for finished products or components | More than 50% |
| Respondents reporting 1–12-week delays for performance-testing equipment | 33% |
| Respondents reporting 13–26-week delays for performance-testing equipment | More than 40% |
These are survey results cited in the NTCA filing, not a census of all broadband providers. They show that the pressure reached beyond router orders and varied by equipment category and supplier.
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Was the 60-week wait a current router lead time?
No. The 60-week figure was reported in April 2021 as a maximum quoted lead time during the pandemic-era chip crisis. The Bloomberg report and NTCA’s late-2021 filing document conditions at that time; neither establishes 2026 router availability, prices or delivery schedules. Anyone ordering equipment now should confirm current stock and specifications directly with the seller or provider rather than rely on a historical shortage figure.
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