PwC’s Insights on Telecom Growth & Revenue Trends
The latest PwC Global Telecoms Outlook, unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, provides a comprehensive analysis of the global telecom industry. The report forecasts moderate revenue growth, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.9% through 2028.
Despite total industry revenues rising 4.3% in 2023 to reach $1.1 trillion, PwC warns of strong headwinds, including:
- Declining Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) – Expected to drop by 2% annually across mobile, broadband, and voice services.
- Macroeconomic & geopolitical pressures – Regulatory challenges and high infrastructure investment costs.
- Increasing competition – Market saturation is driving pricing pressure and reducing profitability.
PwC: 5G Expansion to Quadruple by 2028
According to PwC’s report, 5G adoption is expected to surge, with subscriptions projected to quadruple from 1.79 billion in 2023 to 7.51 billion by 2028.
“Despite sluggish uptake in 5G services to-date, subscriptions for the service are expected to more than quadruple, from 1.79 billion in 2023 to 7.51 billion in 2028, with its share of total mobile subscriptions more than tripling, from 18.8% in 2023 to 64.1% in 2028. At this rate, 5G is expected to become the dominant mobile standard from 2026.”
PwC: AI in Telecom – A Critical Transformation Tool
“Telecoms players must accelerate their investment and application of AI technologies if they are to transform their cost base and customer experience. At the same time, the digital infrastructure needed to power the AI economy will also create significant opportunity for utility providers to deliver the next version of the internet – the ‘AI grid’ – and serve the growing demand for connectivity.” – Wilson Chow, PwC Global TMT Leader
