Gitnux/Report 2026

Information and Communication Industry Statistics

311Statistics
91Sources
12Sections
1Visuals
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Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Before any source is gathered, an editor locks the question, what qualifies, and how the piece will be judged.

02Source Research

Search agents collect the source set and pull each data point out with its provenance attached.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The information and communication industry at a glance

Information and communication is a large, digitally intensive industry: EU enterprises generated €667 billion in value added in 2022, while 6.0 billion people used the Internet globally in 2025.

€667B[2]
EU value added, 2022
7.2M[2]
EU persons employed, 2022
6.0B[55]
Global Internet users, 2025
60.7%[2]
EU ICT specialists in sector J, 2025
Market size
In the EU, information and communication services generated €667 billion in value added and €1.663 trillion in turnover in 2022. The sector comprised approximately 1.4 million enterprises and employed nearly 7.2 million people.[2]
Market share & regions
Global Internet use reached approximately 6.0 billion people, or 74% of the world population, in 2025. Connectivity remains uneven: Internet use was 93% in high-income countries compared with 32% in low-income countries.[55]
Segmentation
EU information and communication services include publishing; film, video, television, sound recording and music publishing; programming and broadcasting; telecommunications; computer programming and consultancy; and information service activities. In 2022, telecommunications employed 808,200 people and programming and broadcasting employed 153,000.[2]
Key players & concentration
The EU sector was dominated by smaller firms by count in 2023: micro-enterprises represented about 1.390 million of 1.461 million enterprises. Large enterprises numbered approximately 3,100 but employed 3.223 million people, compared with 1.730 million employed by micro-enterprises.[2]
Pricing
The global median price of a 5 GB mobile-broadband basket was 1.4% of monthly GNI per capita in 2025, while the fixed-broadband basket was 2.5%. Affordability gaps remain substantial: in low-income economies, nine out of ten countries had a 5 GB mobile-broadband basket costing more than 10% of average monthly income.[55]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Connectivity and 5G continue to expand, but progress is slowing and digital divides persist. In 2025, around 6.0 billion people were online and 2.2 billion remained offline; ITU identifies affordability, infrastructure, skills and quality as continuing constraints.[55]
Consumer behavior & competition
About three-quarters of the global population used the Internet in 2025, but usage was 93% in high-income countries versus 32% in low-income countries. ITU data indicate that stronger telecommunications competition is associated with lower broadband basket prices: median mobile-broadband prices were about 0.4% of GNI per capita in high-competition markets versus about 2.0% in low-competition markets.[55]
Regulation
Digital-market regulation remains a major industry factor. On 23 July 2026, the European Commission fined Google €890 million for breaches of the Digital Markets Act, illustrating the increasing use of platform regulation and financial penalties in the information and communication economy.[84]
Latest news
The latest global connectivity estimate available for 2026 reports 6.3 billion Internet users, up from 6.1 billion in 2025, while approximately 2 billion people remained offline. The figures show continued expansion alongside persistent access gaps.[55]
report visual · Projection

Information and communication gross value added, chain volume measure (United Kingdom)

Information and communication gross value added, chain volume measure grew from 117,982 GBP million in 2019 to 158,006 GBP million in 2024.

118K GBP million
Start
+6.02%
CAGR · 5y
158K GBP million
Projected
20192024
source-verifiedons.gov.uk2024

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Information And Communication Industry

The leading companies in the information and communication industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Microsoft leads Gitnux's 2026 information and communication ranking with an Overall score of 9.8, with Microsoft Cloud revenue reached $168.9 billion in fiscal 2025. Alphabet is the highest-ranked internet advertising and search operator at 9.4, with Alphabet's 2025 consolidated revenue exceeded $400 billion.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in cloud & Software

    Microsoft

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.8 · Cloud & Software

    Why we picked it: Its Cloud, software, devices and digital platforms mix ties directly to EU digital intensity and enterprise adoption.

    See in ranking ↓Visit microsoft.com ↗

  2. Leader in search & Advertising

    Alphabet

    US

    Ranked #2 · 9.4 · Search & Advertising

    Why we picked it: Its search, cloud, advertising and digital platforms align with high EU e-sales shares and AI use growth.

    See in ranking ↓Visit abc.xyz ↗

  3. Leader in semiconductors & Networks

    Samsung Electronics

    KR

    Ranked #3 · 9.2 · Semiconductors & Networks

    Why we picked it: Its semiconductors and networks portfolio fits the industry shift toward 5G capacity and mobile throughput demand.

    See in ranking ↓Visit samsung.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the information and communication industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Microsoft

Cloud & Software · US

9.8
2

Alphabet

Search & Advertising · US

9.4
3

Samsung Electronics

Semiconductors & Networks · KR

9.2
4

Tencent

Internet Platforms & Fintech · CN

9.2
5

Apple

Devices & Digital Services · US

9.2
6

Cisco

Networking, cybersecurity and communications infrastructure · US

9.2
7

Oracle

Cloud infrastructure, enterprise software and databases · US

9.0
8

SAP

Enterprise applications, ERP and cloud software · DE

8.9
9

Nokia

Network infrastructure and mobile networks · FI

8.3
10

Verizon

Wireless, broadband and enterprise connectivity · US

8.0

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 10 companies in the information and communication industry. In Information And Communication Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/information-and-communication-industry-statistics/#top-companies

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI adoption keeps broadening: 62.52% of EU information and communication enterprises used AI technologies in 2025, while executives still flagged scaling limits tied to outdated architectures and fragmented data.

AI in the information and communication industry

  • 60% of UK businesses in the information and communication industry reported using at least one AI technology in September 2026.[1]
  • 37.5% of EU information and communication enterprises using AI in 2024 modified commercial software or systems with their own employees.[2]
  • 62.52% of EU enterprises in information and communication used AI technologies in 2025, compared with 48.7% in 2024.[2]
  • 27% of UK information and communication firms reported using AI in 2023.[3]
  • 48.7% of enterprises in the EU information and communication sector used at least one AI technology in 2024.[2]
  • 20.0% of EU enterprises with at least 10 employees used AI in 2025, while information and communication recorded the highest sectoral adoption at 62.52%.[2]

Automation in the information and communication industry

  • 10% of mobile network operators were forecast to automate 20%–40% of network operations in 2025.[4]
  • 7% of mobile network operators were forecast to automate up to 20% of network operations in 2025.[4]
  • 20% of mobile network operators were forecast to automate 40%–60% of network operations in 2025.[4]
  • 12% of mobile network operators were forecast to have fully automated networks in 2025.[4]
  • 4% of mobile network operators were forecast to have little or no network automation in 2025.[4]
  • 56% of mobile network operators had little or no network automation in 2018, according to a survey of 76 operators worldwide.[4]

Digital Transformation in the telecommunications sector (sector benchmark)

  • Close to 80% of telecommunications executives said their companies were not ready to become data-first, AI-driven organizations, despite expecting data and AI to transform their businesses within three years; global survey, 2024.[5]
  • 72% of telecommunications executives reported difficulty implementing and scaling generative-AI use cases, citing outdated architectures and fragmented data; survey across 24 countries, 2024.[5]
  • About 20% of telecommunications companies qualified as leaders in data transformation, having established intelligent, agile and scalable data estates; survey across 24 countries, 2024.[5]
  • Telco IT spending rose to 6.9% of revenue in 2023, from 6.6% in 2022, among European telecommunications operators surveyed by TeBIT.[6]

Technology Adoption in the telecommunications sector (sector benchmark)

  • Telecommunications operators expected 1.27% of their workforce to be dedicated to AI and generative AI by the end of 2024, up from 1.0% in 2023; European TeBIT survey.[6]
  • European telecommunications operators ranked in the third-highest AI-maturity category, AI scaling, while no surveyed operator reached the highest category, AI future-built; TeBIT survey, 2024.[6]
  • Telecommunications operators allocated 0.16% of revenue to artificial intelligence and generative AI in 2023, compared with 0.49% for the global telecom industry and 0.42% cross-sector.[6]
  • European telecommunications operators expected AI and generative-AI spending to reach 0.24% of revenue in 2024 before declining to 0.20% in 2025; TeBIT survey.[6]
  • Telecommunications operators expected to upskill 10% of employees in artificial-intelligence knowledge and use during 2024; European TeBIT survey.[6]

Cloud Computing in the telecommunications sector (sector benchmark)

  • 42% of communications service providers hosting business-customer workloads believed rising AI demand would shift workloads from private clouds to telco edge clouds; survey across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, 2025.[7]
  • 55% of telecommunications respondents said business customers would choose telco cloud services because of their location at the network edge; survey across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, 2025.[7]
  • 29% of telecommunications respondents used telco clouds to host communications-service-provider services, particularly data services; survey across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, 2025.[7]
  • 47% of telecommunications respondents identified hosting workloads as their top motivation for operating a telco cloud, including 25% focused on business-customer workloads and 22% on third-party applications; 2025.[7]
  • 26% of telecommunications respondents identified bundled networking, security and cloud services under one pricing package as a primary factor in business-customer adoption; survey across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, 2025.[7]

Big Data in the telecommunications sector (sector benchmark)

  • 82% of telecommunications executives rated their companies as low-to-medium maturity in data strategy and governance, while 18% rated them highly mature; survey across 24 countries, 2024.[5]
  • 96% of telecommunications executives rated their companies as low-to-medium maturity in data transformation, including data quality and consistency, while 4% rated them highly mature; survey across 24 countries, 2024.[5]
  • 52% of telecommunications executives expected data and AI transformation to have a high-to-disruptive impact on net promoter scores; survey across 24 countries, 2024.[5]
  • 84% of telecommunications executives rated their companies as low-to-medium maturity in data infrastructure, while 16% rated them highly mature; survey across 24 countries, 2024.[5]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Operators report data-quality effects with audit-grade consequences: 100% reported business impacts from inaccurate physical network data in the previous 12 months in 2026, including 71% citing activation delays.

Business intelligence in the information and communication industry

  • 45% of information and communication enterprises in the EU had a high Digital Intensity Index level in 2025.[2]
  • 41.8% of EU information and communication enterprises used AI for at least one business purpose in 2025.[2]
  • 33% of information and communication enterprises in the EU had a very high Digital Intensity Index level in 2025.[2]
  • 95% of information and communication enterprises in the EU reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2025.[2]
  • 78% of information and communication enterprises in the EU achieved one of the two highest Digital Intensity Index levels in 2025.[2]
  • 35.2% of EU information and communication enterprises used AI to generate written or spoken language in 2025.[2]

Data analytics in the information and communication industry

  • 60% of enterprises in Denmark performed data analytics internally or externally in 2025.[2]
  • 26% of enterprises in Austria performed data analytics internally or externally in 2025.[2]
  • 27% of enterprises in Bulgaria performed data analytics internally or externally in 2025.[2]
  • 25% of enterprises in Poland performed data analytics internally or externally in 2025.[2]
  • 33% of EU enterprises used their own employees to perform data analytics in 2025.[2]
  • 56% of enterprises in Estonia performed data analytics internally or externally in 2025.[2]

Data Quality in the telecommunications sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across telecommunications, 48% of operators still used paper notes in the field that were manually entered into digital network systems later in 2026.[8]
  • Across telecommunications, 100% of operators reported business impacts from inaccurate physical network data during the previous 12 months in 2026, including delays and valuation risks.[8]
  • Across telecommunications, 71% of operators identified project and service-activation delays as the most common impact of inaccurate physical network data in 2026.[8]
  • Across telecommunications, 13% of operators said more than three-quarters of their network records were accurate in 2026, based on 500 senior decision-makers in the US, Canada and UK.[8]
  • Across telecommunications, 78% of operators said network-asset data quality had a critical or major influence on merger-and-acquisition valuations in 2026.[8]
  • Across telecommunications, 7% of operators said network-data updates occurred immediately after field work, while 49% said updates occurred within one week in 2026.[8]

Data Governance in the telecommunications sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across telecommunications, more than 60% of operators planning higher data-platform spending expected increases of 1% to 10% over the next three years in 2025.[9]
  • Across telecommunications, 58% of operators surveyed worldwide had fully deployed one or two data platforms in 2025, according to a survey of 26 operators.[9]
  • Across telecommunications, 21% of operators reported using a mixture of integrated architecture and siloed data management in 2025.[10]
  • Across telecommunications, 21 of 26 operators surveyed expected to increase data-platform investment during the following three years in 2025.[9]
  • Across telecommunications, 41% of operators reported an end-to-end data architecture integrating all departments, while 38% managed data in separate departmental silos in 2025.[10]
  • Across telecommunications, 80% of operators ranked telecoms experience and cost among their three most important criteria when selecting data-platform providers in 2025.[9]

KPIs in the information and communication industry

  • £14.4 billion was generated by UK retail fixed communications services in revenue in 2024.[11]
  • 94.3 million UK post-pay mobile subscriptions were recorded in 2024.[11]
  • £14.1 billion was generated by UK retail mobile communications services in revenue in 2024.[11]
  • 73% of UK fixed broadband connections used fibre technologies at the end of 2024.[11]
  • 56% of outgoing UK online communication service calls were voice calls in 2024.[11]
  • 820 billion outgoing messages were reported by UK online communication services in 2024.[11]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Skills and investment planning stay central: ICT professionals accounted for 3.1% of employment across OECD economies in 2024, up from 2.0% in 2017.

Growth in the information and communication industry

  • 3.1% of employment was accounted for by ICT professionals across OECD economies in 2024, up from 2.0% in 2017.[12]
  • 14.9% was the year-over-year increase in U.S. internet advertising revenue in 2024.[13]
  • 15.6% was the projected 2024 revenue growth rate for ICT wholesaling in Canada.[14]
  • 35% was the increase in Canada’s ICT-sector revenue between 2020 and 2024, rising from $228 billion to $298 billion.[14]
  • $27.0 billion was the one-year increase in U.S. internet-based-services revenue in 2020.[15]
  • 10.7% was the increase in Canada’s ICT services exports in 2024, reaching an estimated $36.8 billion.[14]

Differentiation in the information and communication industry

  • 2,344 international privacy-enhancing-technology patent families were recorded in 2022, compared with 396 in 2010.[12]
  • 20% of ICT-related patent families across the OECD during 2018–2021 included at least one woman inventor.[12]
  • 4% of ICT-related patent families across the OECD were invented exclusively by women during 2018–2021.[12]
  • 9% was the average share of women among ICT-sector inventors across OECD countries in 2021, up from 8% in 2011.[12]
  • 60.8% was the growth of Canada’s software and computer-services revenue from 2020 to 2024, the strongest increase among the sector’s major subsectors.[14]
  • $15.0 billion was Canada’s ICT-sector business R&D spending in 2024, representing 45.4% of the economy’s business R&D.[14]

Mergers and acquisitions in the information and communication industry

  • 60% of 2024 technology, media and telecommunications deal value occurred in North and South America.[16]
  • $129.8 billion was the disclosed value of media and marketing transactions in 2024, down 11% from 2023.[17]
  • 59% of technology, media and telecommunications deal value in 2024 was concentrated in technology transactions.[16]
  • 1,103 media, marketing and online-industry transactions were recorded in 2024, down 16% from 1,312 in 2023.[18]
  • $63.8 billion was the 2024 media-and-marketing transaction value excluding deals above $10 billion, up 47% year over year.[17]
  • One-third of technology, media and telecommunications deals exceeding $10 billion accounted for the sector’s large-deal activity in 2024.[16]

Strategic partnerships in the information and communication industry

  • 60% of the global mobile market was represented by operators partnered with satellite companies in 2024.[4]
  • 91 mobile operators representing approximately 5 billion connections had formed partnerships with satellite operators by 2024.[4]
  • 21 mobile operator groups supported GSMA Open Gateway when it launched in 2023.[4]
  • More than 100 start-up–mobile-operator partnerships had been supported by GSMA Innovation Fund initiatives since 2015.[4]
  • 13% of operators preferred industrial vendors as security partners in the GSMA’s 2023 enterprise survey.[19]
  • Three-quarters of global mobile connections were covered by GSMA Open Gateway partners in 2024.[4]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

ICT hiring demand remains a measurable constraint. Large EU enterprises employed ICT specialists at 78.44% in 2024, while small EU enterprises were at 14.04%.

Hiring in the information and communication industry

  • 14.04% of small EU enterprises employed ICT specialists in 2024.[2]
  • 78.44% of large EU enterprises employed ICT specialists in 2024.[2]
  • 51.87% of large EU enterprises recruited or tried to recruit ICT specialists in 2023.[2]
  • 6.23% of small EU enterprises recruited or tried to recruit ICT specialists in 2023.[2]
  • 20.05% of EU enterprises employed ICT specialists in 2024.[2]

Employee retention in the information and communication industry

  • 68% of global cybersecurity professionals were satisfied with their current job in 2025.[20]
  • 16% of global cybersecurity professionals regretted entering the field because of job-market conditions in 2025.[20]
  • 28% of global cybersecurity professionals had considered switching careers because of the job market in 2025.[20]
  • 73% of global cybersecurity professionals were satisfied with their direct managers in 2025.[20]
  • 66% of global cybersecurity professionals said they were likely to stay with their current organization for the next two years in 2025.[20]

Remote Work in the telecommunications sector (sector benchmark)

  • At TTEC, approximately 50% of global employees worked remotely in 2025, while the remaining 50% worked onsite.[21]
  • Across telecommunications employers, 41% permitted fully remote working and relocation beyond commuting distance in 2024, compared with 34% across all sectors.[22]
  • At Kyivstar, 77% of employees were permitted to work in hybrid or remote capacities in 2024.[23]
  • Across technology and telecommunications companies, 5% of corporate employees were expected to work fully remotely in 2024, according to surveyed CEOs globally.[24]

Hybrid Work in the telecommunications sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across technology and telecommunications companies, 30% of corporate employees were expected to work in a hybrid arrangement in 2024, according to surveyed CEOs globally.[24]
  • In the UK information and communication industry, 49% of businesses reported hybrid working during December 2023.[1]
  • Across Cisco’s surveyed workforce, 45% reported hybrid working, defined as one to four office days per week, in 2025.[25]
  • Across a global survey of enterprise employees considering telecom-enabled hybrid work, 54% reported some autonomy over their work location and 36% reported total autonomy in 2024.[26]

Upskilling in the information and communication industry

  • 40% of organizations proactively updated cybersecurity skills and training as needs evolved in 2026.[20]
  • 63% of employers identified skills gaps as a major barrier to business transformation during 2025–2030.[27]
  • 50% of surveyed organizations globally had completed training, reskilling or upskilling measures by 2025.[27]
  • 97% of information and technology services employers expected AI and big-data skills to increase in importance between 2025 and 2030.[28]
  • 53% of cybersecurity leaders cited time and scheduling as the main barrier to effective training in 2026.[20]

Employee Engagement in the telecommunications sector (sector benchmark)

  • At NBN Co, the overall employee engagement score was 77% in June 2024, based on a survey with a 90% participation rate.[29]
  • At Vodafone, the employee engagement index was 75% in 2025 across the Group.[30]
  • At AT&T, the employee engagement score was 79% in 2025 across its global workforce.[31]
  • At Deutsche Telekom, the Group engagement score was 77 points on a 0–100 scale in 2025, excluding T-Mobile US.[32]
  • At Chunghwa Telecom, 95.15% of surveyed employees identified with and were actively engaged in their work during 2025.[33]

DEI in the information and communication industry

  • 40.3% of Big Tech employees were workers of color in 2022.[34]
  • 9.5% of U.S. high-tech-sector employees were Hispanic in 2022.[34]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Retention and customer operations are tracked tightly in churn metrics. Verizon consumer wireless retail postpaid churn was 1.12% in Q4 2024, while business wireless retail postpaid churn was 1.45%.

Customer experience in the information and communication industry

  • 8.6% of EU online shoppers reported receiving incorrect or damaged goods or services in 2023.[2]
  • Verizon consumer wireless retail postpaid churn was 1.12% in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2024.[35]
  • Frontier reduced customer contacts into call centers by 1 million in the United States between 2023 and 2024.[36]
  • 93% of EU residents aged 16–74 used the internet during the previous three months in 2024.[2]
  • 70% of EU internet users relied on the internet to find information about goods and services in 2023.[2]

Customer retention in the information and communication industry

  • Verizon business wireless retail postpaid churn was 1.45% in the fourth quarter of 2024.[35]
  • T-Mobile US prepaid churn was 2.72% in 2025, compared with 2.73% in 2024.[37]
  • Frontier business and wholesale fiber broadband churn was 1.31% in the fourth quarter of 2024.[38]
  • T-Mobile US postpaid phone churn was 0.93% in 2025, compared with 0.86% in 2024.[37]
  • United States wireless industry-wide churn was 18.5% annually in 2023, according to CTIA data cited by the FCC.[39]

Customer acquisition in the information and communication industry

  • Verizon added 157,000 business fixed-wireless customers in the fourth quarter of 2024.[35]
  • Frontier added 92,000 consumer fiber broadband customers in the fourth quarter of 2024.[38]
  • Verizon added 283,000 business wireless retail postpaid customers in the fourth quarter of 2024.[35]
  • DISH activated approximately 642,000 gross new wireless subscribers in the United States in the third quarter of 2024.[21]
  • Verizon added 408,000 broadband connections in the fourth quarter of 2024.[35]

Customer loyalty in the information and communication industry

  • Wireless customers with one to two years with their carrier scored 830 for cost and promotions satisfaction in the United States in 2024.[40]
  • Charter had 31.5 million customer relationships in the United States at December 31, 2024, excluding mobile-only relationships.[41]
  • T-Mobile US postpaid phone churn was 0.87% in 2023, indicating the company’s reported lowest churn level before its 2024 result.[42]
  • Cost and promotions satisfaction among wireless customers with six or more years with their carrier rose 27 index points year over year in 2024.[40]
  • Wireless customers with six or more years with their carrier scored 798 for cost and promotions satisfaction in the United States in 2024.[40]

Lead generation in the information and communication industry

  • 70% of EU internet users searched online for information about goods and services in 2023, representing a digital lead-discovery audience for information and communication businesses.[2]
  • 41% was the year-over-year increase in B2B content registrations from computers and technology professionals in 2024.[43]
  • TELUS mobile phone gross additions increased by 93,000 in Canada in 2024.[21]
  • 61% of EU businesses used social media in 2023, a channel used by information and communication companies for business audience generation.[2]
  • 6.2 million first-party B2B content registrations were analyzed in NetLine’s 2024 report, covering global buyer engagement.[44]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Advertising revenue signals stay elevated in digital channels: total U.S. internet advertising revenue was $258.6 billion in 2024, with 39.8% coming from search advertising.

Marketing in the information and communication industry

  • 15% was the year-over-year growth of U.S. internet advertising revenue in 2024.[13]
  • $198.084 billion was Google Search and other advertising revenue in 2024 worldwide.[45]
  • $258.6 billion was total U.S. internet advertising revenue in 2024.[13]
  • $30.359 billion was Google Network advertising revenue in 2024 worldwide.[45]
  • $160.633 billion was Meta’s advertising revenue in 2024 worldwide.[46]

Digital marketing in the information and communication industry

  • 39.8% of U.S. digital advertising revenue came from search advertising in 2024.[13]
  • 60.4% of enterprises in Malta used paid internet advertising in 2024.[2]
  • 23.6% of enterprises in Portugal used paid internet advertising in 2024.[2]
  • 24.0% of U.S. digital advertising revenue came from digital video in 2024.[13]
  • 45.3% of EU enterprises paying for internet advertising used other targeted-advertising methods in 2024.[2]

Branding in the information and communication industry

  • $45.5 billion was Oracle’s estimated global brand value in 2026.[47]
  • $443.7 billion was Microsoft’s estimated global brand value in 2026.[47]
  • $57.0 billion was Cisco’s estimated global brand value in 2026.[47]
  • $74.0 billion was NVIDIA’s estimated global brand value in 2026.[47]
  • $43.8 billion was IBM’s estimated global brand value in 2026.[47]

Social media in the information and communication industry

  • 47.3% of enterprises in Hungary used social media in 2025.[2]
  • 41.5% of enterprises in Bulgaria used social media in 2025.[2]
  • 87.6% of enterprises in Finland used social media in 2025.[2]
  • 88.2% of enterprises in Malta used social media in 2025.[2]
  • 63.6% of EU enterprises with at least 10 employees used social media in 2025.[2]

Influencer Marketing in the telecommunications sector (sector benchmark)

  • Plush recorded a 160% increase in post-paid subscription activations after its TikTok influencer campaign in Poland in 2025.[48]
  • Boost Mobile’s New York influencer campaign produced 1.1 million impressions in the United States in 2025.[49]
  • Boost Mobile’s geo-targeted influencer campaign delivered 37% higher omnichannel return on advertising spend in the United States in 2025.[49]
  • Boost Mobile’s New York influencer campaign achieved a 4.3% engagement rate in the United States in 2025, four times the stated industry benchmark.[49]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Provisioning, testing, and data quality show up in operational KPIs. Across telecommunications, 48% of operators used paper notes manually entered into digital systems later in 2026.

Process optimization in the information and communication industry

  • 26.08% of EU enterprises using paid cloud services purchased platforms for application development, testing or deployment in 2025.[2]
  • 30.12% of EU enterprises using paid cloud services used ERP software applications for process and resource planning in 2025.[2]
  • 28.51% of EU enterprises used customer-relationship-management software in 2025.[2]
  • 27.91% of EU enterprises using paid cloud services used CRM software applications in 2025.[2]
  • 46.45% of EU enterprises used enterprise-resource-planning software in 2025.[2]

Operational efficiency in the information and communication industry

  • Mobile operators’ operational emissions fell 5% globally in 2024.[4]
  • Mobile operators consumed approximately 300 TWh of electricity globally in 2024.[50]
  • Fourteen mobile operators matched 100% of their electricity use with renewable electricity in 2024.[50]
  • The average mobile connection consumed 29 kWh of electricity in 2024.[50]
  • Deutsche Telekom’s customer-satisfaction TRI*M index reached 77.6 in 2024.[32]

Quality management in the information and communication industry

  • 38.6% of organizations used test coverage as a digital-quality indicator in 2024.[51]
  • 27.6% of organizations conducted localization testing in 2024.[51]
  • 42% of respondents rated accessibility as a top organizational priority in 2024.[51]
  • 29% of respondents said their organizations did not directly involve people with disabilities in design or testing in 2024.[51]
  • 36.7% of organizations tracked the number of defects reaching production in 2024.[51]

Supply chain in the information and communication industry

  • The 2024 SEMI supply-chain survey included 39 original-equipment manufacturers.[52]
  • Global semiconductor sales reached $630.5 billion in 2024.[53]
  • The 2024 SEMI supply-chain survey included 143 equipment suppliers.[52]
  • Other front-end semiconductor-equipment sales increased 5% in 2024.[52]
  • The 2024 SEMI supply-chain survey included 80 parts-and-components suppliers.[52]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the telecommunications sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across telecommunications, 17% of IT leaders planned to increase offshoring spend over the following 12 months in the 2018 survey.[24]
  • Across telecommunications, 25% of IT leaders planned to increase outsourcing spend over the following 12 months in the 2018 survey.[24]
  • Across telecommunications, 26% of IT leaders planned to increase onshoring spend over the following 12 months in the 2018 survey.[24]
  • Across European telecommunications, 22% of outsourced services were nearshored and 23% were moved to more distant offshore locations, based on 2013 data.[54]
  • Across European telecommunications, 55% of outsourced services remained domestic, based on EY data covering 2013.[54]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Affordability and e-sales shares define pricing pressure. The global median affordability cost for entry-level mobile broadband was 1.4% of GNI per capita in 2025.

Pricing strategy in the information and communication industry

  • 11.07% was the share of total turnover from EDI-type sales across all EU enterprises in 2024, including information and communication businesses.[2]
  • 9.99% of turnover came from web sales among large EU information and communication enterprises in 2024.[2]
  • 24.24% was the combined web- and EDI-type e-sales share of turnover among large EU enterprises in 2024, including information and communication businesses.[2]
  • 5.23% of turnover came from web sales among small EU information and communication enterprises in 2024.[2]
  • 8.65% was the combined web- and EDI-type e-sales share of turnover among small EU enterprises in 2024, including information and communication businesses.[2]

Cost reduction in the information and communication industry

  • 20% of GNI per capita was the approximate cost burden for the bottom 40% of earners in least developed and low-income economies in 2025.[55]
  • 50% was the approximate global decline in the median inflation-adjusted entry-level mobile-broadband price between 2013 and 2025.[55]
  • €19,894.1 million was gross investment in tangible non-current assets by Germany’s information and communication sector in 2022.[2]
  • 1.4% of GNI per capita was the global median affordability cost for entry-level mobile broadband in 2025.[55]
  • 40% was the approximate global improvement in entry-level mobile-broadband affordability between 2013 and 2025.[55]

Profitability in the information and communication industry

  • €667,094 million was value added generated by EU information and communication enterprises in 2022.[2]
  • 5.24% was the share of EU gross value added generated by the ICT sector in 2023.[2]
  • 3% was the increase in the absolute value added of the EU ICT sector from 2022 to 2023.[2]
  • 51.1% of sector value added came from computer programming, consultancy and related activities in the EU information and communication sector in 2022.[2]
  • €1,662,803 million was net turnover generated by EU information and communication enterprises in 2022.[2]

Financial planning in the information and communication industry

  • €31,120.4 million was net turnover generated by Denmark’s information and communication sector in 2022.[2]
  • €349,732.6 million was net turnover generated by Germany’s information and communication sector in 2022.[2]
  • 1,392,325 enterprises operated in the EU information and communication sector in 2022.[2]
  • €13,002.5 million was value added generated by Denmark’s information and communication sector in 2022.[2]
  • 18% was the approximate share of total business-enterprise R&D expenditure attributable to the EU ICT sector in 2023.[2]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Cloud application purchasing remains a measurable pattern. In 2025, 26.08% of EU enterprises using paid cloud services purchased platforms for application development, testing or deployment.

Product development in the information and communication industry

  • Software and ICT services companies more than doubled their R&D spending between 2018 and 2024.[56]
  • 14% was Meta’s year-on-year R&D spending growth in 2024.[56]
  • 7.2% was the projected 2024 R&D-spending increase for Canadian software publishers.[14]
  • $15.0 billion was projected Canadian ICT-sector R&D spending for 2024.[14]
  • 10% was the revenue growth of leading software and ICT services companies globally in 2024.[56]

Product lifecycle in the information and communication industry

  • 4.7% was Canadian communications-services revenue growth between 2020 and 2024.[14]
  • 20% was average AI adoption among OECD firms in 2025.[12]
  • 19.8% was total Canadian ICT-sector employment growth between 2019 and 2024.[14]
  • 60.8% was Canadian software and computer services revenue growth between 2020 and 2024.[14]
  • 52% was AI adoption among large OECD firms in 2025.[12]

After-sales in the information and communication industry

  • 75% of organizations identified dedicated account management as a telco customer-service priority in 2024–2025.[57]
  • 56% of organizations identified omnichannel support as a top telco improvement area in 2025.[57]
  • 64% of organizations wanted a dedicated telco customer-support app in 2025.[57]
  • 38% of organizations reported frictionless interactions across all telco support channels in 2025.[57]
  • 70% of organizations wanted 24/7 chat support with live telco agents in 2024–2025.[57]

Value proposition in the information and communication industry

  • Less than 5% was expected 12-month growth for core connectivity products and services.[16]
  • Nearly 80% of B2B respondents viewed telecom operators as relevant beyond mobile and fixed connectivity.[16]
  • 60% of organizations rated flexibility and customization of offerings as a required telco customer-value attribute in 2024–2025.[57]
  • More than 9% was expected 12-month growth for enterprise security solutions and agentic AI.[16]
  • More than 60% of enterprise decision-makers planned to increase technology and telecommunications spending in the next 12 months.[16]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Emissions and energy inputs remain tracked with quantified targets. The ICT sector’s estimated full-lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions were 750 million tonnes of CO2e in 2024.

Sustainability in the information and communication industry

  • 1.4% was the increase in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions reported for assessed digital companies in 2025.[55]
  • 750 million tonnes of CO2e represented the ICT sector’s estimated full-lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions in 2024.[58]
  • 70% of European mobile operators’ electricity came from renewable sources in 2024.[50]
  • 200 leading digital companies were assessed for emissions, energy use and climate commitments in Greening Digital Companies 2025.[55]
  • 24% of mobile operators’ electricity came from purchased or generated renewable sources in 2024.[50]

ESG in the information and communication industry

  • 22% of renewable electricity purchased by RE100 mobile operators came through green tariffs and other instruments in 2024.[50]
  • 77 mobile operators had validated near-term science-based targets as of June 2026.[50]
  • 33% of renewable electricity purchased by RE100 mobile operators came through power-purchase agreements in 2024.[50]
  • 46 mobile operators had validated net-zero targets as of June 2026.[50]
  • Half of validated mobile-industry net-zero targets aimed for 2040 or earlier in 2026.[50]

Ethics in the information and communication industry

  • 94% of surveyed organizations had generative AI in development, testing or use in Deloitte’s 2024 ethical-technology survey.[59]
  • 1,000 developers across the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands were surveyed about AI’s effect on software development in 2026.[60]
  • 20 countries were represented in a survey of AI practitioners and lawmakers on ethical AI views.[61]
  • 46% of software developers said they did not trust the accuracy of AI outputs in the 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey.[60]
  • 5 continents were represented in the survey of AI practitioners and lawmakers on ethical AI.[61]

CSR in the information and communication industry

  • Nearly one-third of mobile operators disclosing to CDP received an A score in 2025.[50]
  • Under 4% of companies outside the mobile-operator sample received CDP’s A climate-disclosure score in 2025.[50]
  • 24% of mobile operators’ electricity came from purchased or generated renewables in 2024.[50]
  • 24 mobile operators received CDP’s highest disclosure score in 2025.[50]
  • 77 mobile network operators disclosed climate information to CDP in 2024.[50]

Circular economy in the information and communication industry

  • 13.8 billion kilograms of e-waste were formally collected and recycled globally in 2022.[55]
  • 42.8% was Europe’s documented e-waste collection and recycling rate in 2022.[55]
  • 17.6 kilograms per person was Europe’s e-waste generation in 2022.[55]
  • 1.7 kilograms per person was the global formally documented e-waste collection and recycling amount in 2022.[55]
  • 30% was the increase in waste from screens, monitors and small IT and telecommunications equipment between 2010 and 2022.[62]

Carbon footprint in the information and communication industry

  • 2.5 billion litres of diesel and gasoline were consumed by mobile operators in 2024.[50]
  • 310 million tonnes of CO2e were the mobile industry’s estimated Scope 3 emissions in 2024.[50]
  • 27% of the mobile industry’s carbon footprint came from operational emissions in 2024.[50]
  • More than fourfold was the increase in mobile data traffic between 2019 and 2024.[50]
  • 10% was the increase in global mobile connections between 2019 and 2024.[50]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Export distribution is regionally uneven: 32% of global ICT-services exports originated in Asia and Oceania in 2025, and 9% originated in Northern America.

Globalization in the information and communication industry

  • 32% of global ICT-services exports originated in Asia and Oceania in 2025.[75]
  • Deutsche Telekom was represented in more than 50 countries in 2024.[32]
  • 9% of global ICT-services exports originated in Northern America in 2025.[75]
  • $1.33 trillion in ICT services were exported globally in 2025, covering telecommunications and computer services.[75]
  • 2.5% of global ICT-services exports, worth about $34 billion, originated in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean in 2025.[75]

Cultural adaptation in the information and communication industry

  • 6.0% of multilingual applications were available in at least 50 languages in 2024.[51]
  • 9.8% of multilingual applications were available in 10–24 languages in 2024.[51]
  • About 20% of web content was in English according to the November 2024 language-presence update.[76]
  • 18% of European language companies reported audiovisual localization as a technology use in 2024.[77]
  • 54.1% of organizations developing localized sites or apps did all localization development in-house in 2024.[51]

Supplier management in the information and communication industry

  • 1,076 suppliers were engaged by FET Telecom in 2024.[78]
  • 35.3% of FET Telecom’s overall spending represented procurement expenditure in 2024.[78]
  • Five second- and third-tier SK Telecom suppliers without direct transactions were classified as significant non-tier-1 suppliers in 2024.[79]
  • 746 SK Telecom suppliers were in software and solution development in 2024.[79]
  • 56% of SK Telecom’s purchases came from software and solution-development suppliers in 2024.[79]

Stakeholder management in the information and communication industry

  • 68% of surveyed leaders considered investors influential in motivating sustainability goals in 2025.[80]
  • 35% of communications executives said they were involving more stakeholders in strategic conversations in 2024.[81]
  • 75% of surveyed leaders considered policymakers influential in motivating sustainability goals in 2023.[80]
  • 83% of surveyed leaders considered customers influential in motivating sustainability goals in 2023.[80]
  • 70% of surveyed leaders considered partners influential in motivating sustainability goals in 2025.[80]

Distribution channels in the information and communication industry

  • More than 25 million fixed-network lines were served by Deutsche Telekom at December 31, 2024.[32]
  • 9,287 million South African rand came from wholesale revenue in MTN’s 2024 segment breakdown.[82]
  • 48,292 million South African rand came from outgoing voice revenue in MTN’s 2024 segment breakdown.[82]
  • 261 million mobile customers were served by Deutsche Telekom at December 31, 2024.[32]
  • 24.2 million mobile wholesale accesses were reported by Telefónica in 2024.[83]

Key questions about the information and communication industry

How large is the information and communication market in the EU?
EU information and communication services generated €667 billion in value added and €1.663 trillion in turnover in 2022, across 1.4 million enterprises and nearly 7.2 million people employed.
Is Internet adoption still expanding in 2026?
Latest 2026 estimates report 6.3 billion Internet users, up from 6.1 billion in 2025, while approximately 2 billion people remained offline.
Which companies lead the information and communication industry?
Microsoft leads Gitnux's 2026 information and communication ranking with an Overall score of 9.8, with Microsoft Cloud revenue reached $168.9 billion in fiscal 2025. Alphabet is the highest-ranked internet advertising and search operator at 9.4, with Alphabet's 2025 consolidated revenue exceeded $400 billion.
What is changing on the technology side for operators and enterprises?
AI adoption is rising: 62.52% of EU information and communication enterprises used AI technologies in 2025. Telecommunications executives also reported difficulty implementing and scaling generative-AI use cases due to outdated architectures and fragmented data in 2024.
How is the industry structured across firms by size?
In 2023, micro-enterprises accounted for about 1.390 million of 1.461 million enterprises, while large enterprises numbered approximately 3,100 but employed 3.223 million people.
How does regulation show up in real outcomes for platforms?
On 23 July 2026, the European Commission fined Google €890 million for Digital Markets Act breaches, reflecting more forceful platform regulation and financial penalties.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Information And Communication Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/information-and-communication-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Information And Communication Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/information-and-communication-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Information And Communication Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/information-and-communication-industry-statistics.

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