I’m one of those people who loves driving, but not picky about the actual car. I’ve driven some rusty, falling-apart junkers in my life, lots of forgettable rentals, and too many SUVs – I like driving them all. As long as I’m not stuck in tra...read more
The Indian government’s recent decision to invite Huawei for 5G trials has sparked a debate between two opposing bodies. Indian telecom export body TEPC (or Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council) has proposed a ban on Chinese tele...read more
Global telecom operators are facing a cost crunch. Based on MTN Consulting’s analysis, annualized operating profit margins have fallen for five straight quarters, from 13.7% in 2Q17 to 12.7% in 3Q18. This profit dip comes during strong economic tim...read more
Globally, operators are experiencing a rough patch, with sliding core revenues combined with an ongoing need to invest and maintain their networks. The wide usage of apps and services provided by OTTs, purchased easily from a smartphone or other devi...read more
MTN Consulting has just published a “Market Review” of the carrier-neutral network operator (CNNO) sector. The report assesses the key role that these tower, data center, and bandwidth specialists are playing in the downsizing of the telecom sect...read more
Not all telcos have reported, but a large sample (of 60 companies) has spent US$50.2B on capex in 3Q17. That’s up 4% year-over-year (YoY), after adjustments for acquisitions. A 4% growth rate for telco capex is relatively high by recent standard...read more
Faced with tough competition and high debt, Indian telecom operators are spinning off their tower assets to investors or independent tower companies to improve their financial situation. The 2016 sale of Tata Teleservices’ tower business (Vio...read more
Fidelity’s “Communications Equipment” index is up nearly 11% so far this year, tracking just a few points behind the S&P 500’s YTD gain of about 15%. Looking ahead, though, the communications equipment sector remains challenged, something...read more
If you’re looking for a capex bump in the telecom sector, results for 3Q17 so far won’t reassure you. The vendors that have reported are not seeing much growth. For six vendors (or divisions) with high exposure to telecom, annualized revenues ...read more
Cisco Systems is one of the largest suppliers to network operators worldwide, including telcos. Its growth strategy from the start has been reliant heavily on acquisitions, and 2017 has been no exception. Today the vendor announced it would buy G...read more