The telecom and technology sectors are evolving rapidly, compelling telco operators to take decisive actions to maintain their market position. Partner Naveed Niwaz and coauthors highlight that one promising avenue for boosting B2B growth is in information and communications technology (ICT) by combining their connectivity services with offerings such as cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure. This beyond-core segment is expected to grow six times faster than the combined growth of core connectivity and near-core services. While telco operators already have a strong reputation in ICT, they must demonstrate their value as reliable integration partners.
Image description:
A stacked bar chart displays the global B2B market addressable by operators, in billions of dollars, broken down by market segment for the years 2020, 2024, and a projection for 2028. The segments are stacked vertically, with the “Core” market segment at the bottom, followed by “Near-core,” and then 5 segments comprising the “Beyond core” market: cybersecurity, business applications, IT and managed services, cloud and infrastructure, and end-user devices and services.
In 2020, the core market segment accounts for $307 billion, near core for $51 billion, and beyond core for $142 billion ($500 billion total). In 2024, the core market increases to $326 billion, near-core to $55 billion, and beyond core to $204 billion ($584 billion total). By 2028, the core market is projected to be $334 billion, near-core $71 billion, and beyond core grows to $287 billion ($692 billion total).
A separate table to the right presents the CAGR from 2025 to 2028, showing 8.9% growth for the beyond core segment and 1.6% for the combined core plus near-core segment. The chart indicates that the beyond core segment is projected to grow six times faster than the combined core and near-core segments.
Note: This image description was completed with the assistance of Writer, a gen AI tool.
Source: Analysys Mason; ICT cube data; expert interviews.
End of image description.
To read the article, see “Playing to win in B2B telecom,” February 28, 2025.