The end of big capex: new strategic options for the telecoms industry
"The telecoms industry is beset by a crisis of overproduction of bandwidth; both operators and vendors need to harness new quality productive forces rather than the old productive forces that have delivered wave after wave of lower costs and lower prices."
Global operator capex fell in 2023 and is likely to continue to fall steeply for the rest of the decade. While this poses problems for vendors, operators face intriguing new strategic choices.
Information included in this report
- A demonstration of how bandwidth supply and demand have decoupled as the result of a classic crisis of overproduction
- An analysis of why this has come about
- A long-range view of telecoms capex
- An indication of the strategic responses that operators and vendors can take
Author
Rupert Wood
Research Director, expert in infrastructure, fixed networks and wholesaleRelated items
12 February 2025
Research
Case studies report
Telecoms operator opex reduction strategies: case studies and analysis (pan-European operators)
10 February 2025
Research
Article
SK Telecom is investing heavily to back its goal of generating USD7 billion in AI revenue by 2030
29 January 2025
Research
Strategy report
Productivity in the telecoms market: trends and operators’ strategies