From CNBC: 2025-03-14 02:25:14

Europe’s telecom firms are pushing for more industry consolidation at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. CEOs argue that a fragmented market hinders competitiveness with U.S. and Chinese tech giants. Regulatory barriers must be lifted to allow telcos to merge and invest in technologies like 5G and AI for growth.

Telecom leaders stress the urgency for consolidation in Europe to keep up with global competition. Recent mergers like Orange’s deal in Spain and Vodafone-Three merger in the UK show progress, but more action is needed. Despite calls for change, the industry still faces challenges in driving transformation and regulatory reforms.

Deutsche Telekom’s CEO calls for reform in Europe’s telco market to compete with the U.S. and India. He highlights the need for consolidation to achieve scale and efficiency. European telcos seek to increase consumer prices and improve competitiveness by consolidating operations and modernizing networks for better revenue growth.

Europe’s telcos invest heavily in AI and 5G technologies to move beyond traditional network models. However, revenue growth remains slow, limiting their ability to monetize networks like tech giants. Telco bosses emphasize the importance of consolidation to accelerate digital transformation and improve competitiveness in the global market.

Read more: Europe telcos urge more mega-mergers to catch up to US, China on 5G