Telecommunications

Stratum 4 · Networks and systems

Telecommunications

Telecom operators carry voice and data over radio spectrum, fibre, copper, subsea cables and satellites, connecting 5.8 billion unique mobile subscribers in 2025, about 70% of the world's people, and mobile operators earned about US$ 1.19 trillion of revenue that year, projected to reach US$ 1.36 trillion by 2030 (GSMA). The wider mobile ecosystem added an estimated US$ 7.6 trillion, or 6.4% of world GDP. Network equipment is highly concentrated in five vendors, while operators are national and heavily regulated.¹

India. India had 1,348 million telephone subscribers and 1,088 million broadband connections at the end of June 2026; Jio and Airtel together held about 84% of broadband (calculated from 48.9% and 34.9%)⁴. Domestic gear makers such as Tejas Networks and HFCL, and the Indian-developed 4G/5G stack used by BSNL, are the main import-substitution plays.

Where ₹100 of telecommunications output goes

Where ₹100 of telecommunications output goes Every rupee of sales is paid out to someone along the chain. This splits ₹100 of output by who finally receives it, so you can see how exposed the industry is to commodity, chemical and energy prices. Commodities ₹2.7 Chemicals ₹0.3 Energy ₹5.2 Wages…

Price links with supplier industries

Price links with supplier industries How the industries this one buys from shape its prices: the share of its costs they make up, and how their prices have moved together. Tap a row for the charts. Hover or tap ? for what each measure means. Supplier industry Cost share Raw-material mix…

Follow one offering through the chain

Follow one offering through the chain 4 Example story · 6 steps · India A Jio 5G call from your phone Follow one 5G call from the spectrum auction and the radio vendors to the tower, the network and the recharge that pays for it. 1 / 6 · Spectrum, rules and standards Airwaves bought at auction…

Buys directly from

Buys directly from Computers and electronics Construction and infrastructure Electrical equipment Depends on through its suppliers Building materials Machinery and equipment Metal products Plastic and rubber products Semiconductors Water and sanitation Wood products Sells directly into Data…

Value chain, from upstream to the customer

Value chain, from upstream to the customer Criticality to the chain: 5 · Chokepoint 4 · Critical 3 · Important 2 · Supporting 1 · Commodity service Stage 1 Spectrum, rules and standards Spectrum regulators and licensing authorities 5 · Chokepoint Auction or assign radio spectrum, license…

What the whole chain draws on

What the whole chain draws on Every commodity, chemical and energy tile named by the enterprises above; ×n shows how many of them depend on it. Open any tile for its full detail. Commodities (14) Cu Copper ×3 St Steel ×3 Ge Germanium ×2 Al Aluminium Ga Gallium REE Rare earths Au Gold Qz Silica…

Chokepoints and risks

Chokepoints and risks Radio equipment is a near-oligopoly: five vendors held 96% of macro RAN in the first three quarters of 2025 and two held nearly two-thirds, while security bans narrow choice further 2 , 3 . Equipment spending is weak: the radio market lost about a fifth of its value in…

Sources

Sources The Mobile Economy 2026 GSMA Intelligence, 2026 RAN market stabilized in 2025 Dell'Oro Group, 2026 Dell'Oro says Huawei and Ericsson have nearly two-thirds of RAN market share Fierce Network, 2025 Highlights of telecom subscription data as on 30 June 2026 (Press Release No. 104/2026)…

Relationship cards

• Data centres and cloud: Data centres are only useful when they are connected, so they cluster where fibre and subsea cables land, and cloud and content firms now generate most international traffic. Telecom operators in turn run their core networks and IT in data centres. In India the same few coastal hubs, Mumbai and Chennai, hold both the cable landings and most data-centre capacity, which concentrates risk. (researched)
• Software and IT services: Modern telecom networks run on software, from billing and network management to virtualised cores and radio, so operators are large buyers of software and IT services, while cloud and software firms depend on telecom fibre and backbone links. In India the tie is unusually close: telecom is a core client vertical for IT exporters, and TCS led the build of BSNL's homegrown 4G network. (researched)
• Gallium: Radio equipment for mobile networks relies on gallium compounds, gallium nitride in base station amplifiers and gallium arsenide in handsets, while China produces about 99% of the world's primary gallium and has used export controls on it since 2023. (researched)
• Copper: Telecom networks were built on copper lines, but optical fibre now replaces copper in access and long-haul networks, so operators are retiring copper while still needing it for power feeds to radio sites and subsea cable repeaters. (researched)
• Aerospace and defence: Telecommunications buys from Aerospace and defence; aerospace and defence buys from Telecommunications; telecommunications depends on aerospace and defence; aerospace and defence depends on telecommunications.
• Education and research: Telecommunications buys from Education and research; education and research buys from Telecommunications; telecommunications depends on education and research; education and research depends on telecommunications.
• Finance: banking, insurance, markets: Telecommunications buys from Finance: banking, insurance, markets; finance: banking, insurance, markets buys from Telecommunications; telecommunications depends on finance: banking, insurance, markets; finance: banking, insurance, markets depends on telecommunications.
• Professional services: Telecommunications buys from Professional services; professional services buys from Telecommunications; telecommunications depends on professional services; professional services depends on telecommunications.
• Public administration, defence and security: Telecommunications buys from Public administration, defence and security; public administration, defence and security buys from Telecommunications; telecommunications depends on public administration, defence and security; public administration, defence and security depends on telecommunications.
• Computers and electronics: Telecommunications buys from Computers and electronics; telecommunications depends on computers and electronics.
• Construction and infrastructure: Telecommunications buys from Construction and infrastructure; telecommunications depends on construction and infrastructure.
• E-commerce and digital marketplaces: E-commerce and digital marketplaces buys from Telecommunications; E-commerce and digital marketplaces depends on telecommunications.
• Electrical equipment: Telecommunications buys from Electrical equipment; telecommunications depends on electrical equipment.
• Machinery and equipment: Telecommunications buys from Machinery and equipment; telecommunications depends on machinery and equipment.
• Media and entertainment: Media and entertainment buys from Telecommunications; media and entertainment depends on telecommunications.
• Metal products: Telecommunications buys from Metal products; telecommunications depends on metal products.
• Plastic and rubber products: Telecommunications buys from Plastic and rubber products; telecommunications depends on plastic and rubber products.
• Semiconductors: Telecommunications buys from Semiconductors; telecommunications depends on semiconductors.
• Transport and logistics: Telecommunications buys from Transport and logistics; telecommunications depends on transport and logistics.
• Water and sanitation: Water and sanitation buys from Telecommunications; water and sanitation depends on telecommunications.
• Wholesale and retail trade: Telecommunications buys from Wholesale and retail trade; telecommunications depends on wholesale and retail trade.
• AC transmission: Telecommunications depends on AC transmission.
• Acrylic acid: Telecommunications depends on acrylic acid.
• Aluminium: Telecommunications depends on aluminium.
• Cement: Telecommunications depends on cement.
• Crude oil: Telecommunications depends on crude oil.
• Data centres: Telecommunications depends on data centres.
• Distribution grids, mini-grids and interconnectors: Telecommunications depends on distribution grids, mini-grids and interconnectors.
• Fluoropolymers (PTFE, PVDF): Telecommunications depends on fluoropolymers (PTFE, PVDF).
• Germanium: Telecommunications depends on germanium.
• Gold: Telecommunications depends on gold.
• Helium: Telecommunications depends on helium.
• High-density polyethylene: Telecommunications depends on high-density polyethylene.
• Hydrogen: Telecommunications depends on hydrogen.
• Internal combustion engines and gensets: Telecommunications depends on internal combustion engines and gensets.
• Lead: Telecommunications depends on lead.
• Lithium: Telecommunications depends on lithium.
• Lithium iron phosphate batteries: Telecommunications depends on lithium iron phosphate batteries.
• Oxygen: Telecommunications depends on oxygen.
• Polycarbonate: Telecommunications depends on polycarbonate.
• Polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE): Telecommunications depends on polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE).
• Rare earths: Telecommunications depends on rare earths.
• Rockets and human power: Telecommunications depends on rockets and human power.
• Sand & gravel: Telecommunications depends on sand & gravel.
• Ship propulsion: Telecommunications depends on ship propulsion.
• Silica sand: Telecommunications depends on silica sand.
• Solar photovoltaics: Telecommunications depends on solar photovoltaics.
• Steel: Telecommunications depends on steel.
• Transformers and power electronics: Telecommunications depends on transformers and power electronics.
• Underground, submarine and superconducting cables: Telecommunications depends on underground, submarine and superconducting cables.
• Zinc: Telecommunications depends on zinc.