HPE Competes Head-to-Head with Huawei in Campus Switch Market Following Juniper Acquisition

The Competitive Landscape of Campus Switches: HPE and Huawei's Neck-and-Neck Race

In a recent report from the Dell'Oro Group, a notable shift in the campus switch market has been observed, featuring a vigorous competition between Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Chinese tech giant Huawei. This transformation is significantly influenced by HPE's acquisition of Juniper Networks, pushing them into a close contest for the second spot in this crucial sector.

HPE's Strategic Move

HPE's integration of Juniper’s revenue has fueled their growth trajectory, allowing them to keep pace with Huawei's market share. According to Dell'Oro Group's Research Director, Siân Morgan, this merger resulted in HPE's campus switch revenue matching that of Huawei nearly identically in the third quarter of 2025. With revenues rising faster than the overall market average, HPE's position is stronger than it has been in recent years.

This fierce competition highlights the increasing importance of campus infrastructure solutions as businesses seek efficient networking technologies. As corporations continue to modernize their systems, the demand for high-performance campus switches is surging.

Intense Market Competition

The report also shed light on Cisco's remarkable financial opportunities through its refresh strategy, which alone is projected to impact the market by billions. While Cisco appears to be effectively capitalizing on these opportunities, numerous competitors, including HPE and Huawei, are pursuing their share by emphasizing advancements in technology and performance.

The sentiment within the industry is that while Cisco currently leads, the playing field remains dynamic, with ample opportunities for other vendors to nab significant portions of the market. Competitors are actively marketing their high-performance hardware and features powered by artificial intelligence operations (AIOps) to persuade companies that might be looking to upgrade their existing systems.

Revenue Trends and Challenges

Interestingly, the revenue landscape in the campus switch market has not been entirely favorable for Huawei, with Chinese revenues contracting significantly over the recent months. Contrary to common expectations, though, Huawei has managed to gain additional market share despite this downturn, demonstrating the complexities and challenges faced by tech companies in the current global market environment.

In parallel, a consistent decline in port prices over the last seven quarters reflects broader market trends, even as multi-gig port shipments continue to grow. This aspect hints at a potentially saturated market for standard switches, where price sensitivity may dictate consumer behaviors going forward.

Future Outlook

As we look ahead, the campus Ethernet switch market is poised for continued evolution, with notable influences stemming from technological innovations and shifting competitive dynamics. Based on the trends outlined in the Dell'Oro report, HPE, through its strong performance and strategic acquisitions, is set to create a formidable challenge for Huawei in the near future.

The upcoming quarters will be critical in determining whether HPE can maintain this momentum and leverage its relationship with Juniper to surpass Huawei's longstanding dominance. Businesses and investors alike are keenly anticipating the next moves from these major players, as the campus switch market continues to heat up amidst a backdrop of rapid technological advancements and shifting business needs.

For those looking to get a comprehensive view of Ethernet switches designed for Local Area Network (LAN) access and aggregation, the Dell'Oro Campus Ethernet Switch Quarterly Report offers crucial insights into the performance metrics across vendor revenues, port shipments, and average selling prices, further illuminating this evolving landscape.

In summary, with HPE's strategic integration of Juniper and its implications in the campus switch market, a riveting competition is unfolding, showcasing the agility of players in adapting to industry demands and driving technological innovation.