Worldwide Telecommunications Capex and Opex, FY24: Overview of Top Global Service Providers

This IDC Market Perspective offers a comprehensive overview of communications service providers' (comms SPs') capex and opex investments in 2024. It highlights the top 10 global spenders in both categories, along with the leading capex investors in wireless and wireline networks. The document also includes a regional breakdown of spending trends. Overall, comms SP investment contracted in 2024 compared with the previous year, reflecting a more cautious approach to capital allocation amid a challenging macroeconomic climate."In 2024, global telecom providers invested $299.4 billion in capital expenditures and $1,255.8 billion in opex investments, underscoring their ongoing commitment to modernizing networks and enhancing service delivery," said Peter Chahal, director, Worldwide Telecommunications Insights, IDC. "Wireless networks represented 51.2% of total telecom capex, a slight increase over the previous year. The Asia/Pacific region led in both capex and opex spending, while telecom providers in North America and Europe adopted a more measured approach to capital investment."