# Telecommunications: Chokepoints and risks

Mobile, fibre, subsea cable and satellite operators carrying voice and data

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/telecom/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](https://www.delloro.com/news/ran-market-stabilized-in-2025/)^,^[3](https://www.fierce-network.com/wireless/delloro-says-huawei-and-ericsson-have-nearly-two-thirds-ran-market-share).
- Equipment spending is weak: the radio market lost about a fifth of its value in 2022-24 and is expected to be flat in 2026, squeezing vendors^[2](https://www.delloro.com/news/ran-market-stabilized-in-2025/).
- Operators carry heavy spectrum and licence costs, and a weak third player (as in India) concentrates the market further.
- Subsea cables and landing stations are exposed to cuts and slow repair, and three non-Chinese system suppliers build most new cables^[5](https://www.gtai.de/de/trade/ostasien/branchen/europaeische-firmen-sind-wichtige-lieferanten-1949410).
- Networks need continuous power at hundreds of thousands of sites, so grid quality and diesel prices hit costs directly.

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/telecom/index.md)
- [Where ₹100 goes](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/telecom/cost-mix/index.md)
- [Price links with suppliers](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/telecom/price-links/index.md)
- [Example story](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/telecom/story/index.md)
- [Linked industries](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/telecom/linked-industries/index.md)
- [Value chain](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/telecom/value-chain/index.md)
- [Materials drawn on](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/telecom/materials/index.md)
- [Sources](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/telecom/sources/index.md)