Telecommunications Network Operators: 2Q24 Market Review - Capex Falls for Fifth Straight Quarter, Pushing Annualized Total Down to ~$300B, but Modest Turnaround Looms, Revenues Dip 1.4% YoY

This report reviews the growth and development of the telecommunications network operator (TNO, or telco) market. The report tracks a wide range of financial stats for 140 telcos across the globe, from 1Q11 through 2Q24. For the annualized 2Q24 period, telcos represented $1.77 trillion (T) in revenues (0.1% growth YoY), $262.9 billion (B) in labor costs (2.1% YoY), and $300.7B in capex (-6.9% YoY). They employed approximately 4.48 million people as of June 2024, down 1.2% from the prior year.

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Below are the key highlights of the report:

• Revenues: Telco topline declined by 1.4% year-over-year (YoY) to reach $437.8 billion (B) in the latest single quarter ending 2Q24. Revenues for the annualized 2Q24 period were $1,768.3B, up 0.1% YoY over the same period in the previous year. At the operator level, five of the top 20 best performing telcos by topline growth in 2Q24 on an annualized basis include America Movil (8.0%), STC (Saudi Telecom) (5.8%), BT (4.7%), Telefonica (3.6%), and Orange (2.9%). By the same criteria, the worst telco growth came from NTT (-5.7%), KDDI (-5.4%), SoftBank (-4.7%), Vodafone (-1.7%), and China Unicom (-1.6%) during the same period.
• Capex: Capex spending plunged by 8.0% on a YoY basis to post $69.4B in the latest single quarter ending June 2024. Capex for the annualized 2Q24 period was $300.7B, down 6.9% YoY over the same period in the previous year. At the operator level, five of the top 20 best performing telcos by capex growth in 2Q24 on an annualized basis include BSNL (128.2%), KDDI (23.6%), Telecom Italia (9.1%), Charter Communications (7.9%), and America Movil (7.6%). By the same criteria, the worst capex growth came from Verizon (-26.0%), Reliance Jio (-22.6%), Deutsche Telekom (-20.6%), Vodafone (-14.6%), and AT&T (-13.1%) during the same period.
• Opex and labor costs: Total opex for the telecom industry in the annualized 2Q24 period stood at $1,502.7B, a slight increase of 0.4% over the same period previous year. Excluding depreciation and amortization (D&A) costs, total opex increased by 1.2% on YoY basis to record $1,172.2B in the annualized 2Q24 period. One significant element of telco opex is labor costs, which include salaries, wages, bonuses, benefits, and retirement/severance costs. Labor costs grew by 2.1% YoY in the annualized 2Q24 period, pushing labor costs as a percentage of opex (excluding D&A) slightly up from 22.2% in 2Q23 to 22.4% in 2Q24 on an annualized basis. This growth occurred despite an ongoing reduction in industry headcount; the telco workforce ended 2Q24 at 4.48 million, down 1.2% YoY.
• Profitability margins: Both EBITDA and EBIT margins experienced a slight uptick in 2Q24 on an annualized basis compared to the previous quarter. Results were mixed when compared to the same period last year. Annualized EBIT margin dipped from 15.3% in 2Q23 to 15.0% in 2Q24, while the EBITDA margin for the annualized 2Q24 period stood at 34.4%, up from 33.7% in annualized 2Q23.
• Regional trends: The Americas region outpaced Asia to reclaim its position as the largest region by revenue, holding a 37.3% share in 2Q24. On a capex basis though, the Asia region outspent the Americas, capturing a 36.5% share in the latest quarter. Europe retained the highest annualized capital intensity, reaching 18.4% in 2Q24, followed by MEA at 17.4%.

Important note: We have made some significant enhancements to our telco market review report in 1Q24. The changes are designed to provide a more insightful and user-friendly experience:

• 'Market Snapshot' Tab: This tab now features an interactive dashboard view of the telco market, allowing users to interact with and analyze market data more effectively. Additionally, users can export the dashboard to PDF for convenient sharing and reference.
• Two distinct sections have been created from the previous 'Company Deepdive & Benchmarking' section for greater clarity and functionality:
  • 1. 'Company Drilldown': Provides a comprehensive analysis of a selected company from the full set of 140 telcos. It covers various metrics including revenue, capex, employee counts, costs, profitability, cash and debt levels, and key ratios.
  • 2. 'Company Benchmarking': Focuses on a sample of 79 telcos, representing approximately 82% of the global market. This section allows users to select and compare up to 5 telcos across multiple metrics such as labor costs, opex, EBIT, as well as revenues, capex, and employee counts. The sample includes operators from all regions and of varying sizes.

Both new sections also feature the capability to export graphics to PDF, enhancing the flexibility and utility of the data presented.

Operator coverage:

Regional coverage: