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Spending on Telecom, Pay TV Services Hobbled by Inflation – IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Semiannual Telecom Services Tracker, has reported that worldwide spending on telecommunication and pay TV services will reach $1,55-trillion in 2023, an increase of 3 per cent over 2022.
The latest forecast is one percentage point higher than the previous forecast published in May.
This is the third increase in the forecast in the last 12 months with inflation being the primary driver.
The geographic regions seeing above-average forecast revisions are the Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America.
This is mainly a consequence of hyperinflation happening in countries such as Turkey, Uganda, Egypt, and Argentina where it has become normal to see quarterly ARPUs (average revenue per user) growing by more than 50% on a yearly basis.
On the other hand, expectations for the telecom services market in Western Europe have been lowered slightly primarily due to a worsened economic environment in a few key countries including Germany.
IDC believes this is the first sign of a new market force emerging that will put the current growth rates under pressure and slowly bring them down toward the end of the forecast period.
Inflation is certainly a global phenomenon, but the trends it shapes in different local markets vary significantly. In many countries, telecom operators were allowed by regulators to increase their tariffs (often applying a Consumer Price Index model), resulting in healthy service revenue growth on an annual basis.
In other countries, however, this move drove the accelerated migration of customers to cheaper tariff packages and cheaper operators so the value growth rates were much lower than the nominal tariff increases.
A third group includes countries such as Italy, where the competitive situation did not permit operators to do any tariff adjustments.
And among a fourth group of countries, mainly the developing countries in Eastern Europe and Africa, tariff increases were prevented by the populations’ low purchasing power.
An analysis by type of telecom services confirms that the well-known trends continue despite the changes in top-line forecasts.
Mobile is and will remain the largest segment driven by the growth in mobile data usage and machine-to-machine (M2M) applications which are offsetting declines in spending on mobile voice and messaging services.
The fixed data services segment will also grow driven by the need for higher bandwidth services will fall over the forecast period as rapidly declining TDM voice revenues are not being offservices. Spending on fixed voice set by the increase in IP voice.
The traditional Pay TV market will decline slightly over the forecast period due to the growing popularity of video on demand (VoD) and over the top (OTT) services, but these services will remain an important part of the multi-play offerings of telecom providers across the world.
Prices of all goods and services have been increasing for quite some time. Economic growth has recently started to decelerate following increases in central bank interest rates.
Consumers and businesses have been under pressure as they try to maintain a balance between rising costs and limited budgets. Although the elasticity of the telecom services is relatively low, and it is hard for customers to imagine everyday life without them, any excessive tariff increases might affect demand.
“Operators need to carefully evaluate every single market for tolerance to price increases,” said Kresimir Alic, research director, Worldwide Telecom Services at IDC.
“They should continuously assess and compare the product mixes, quality of services, pricing, and customer support capabilities of all supply-side participants. That information should help them find a magic percentage that will not scare the customers away, have positive impact on revenues, and help them maintain healthy margins in these turbulent times.”
Patience Okala, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office has urged African countries to stop exporting raw materials and instead focus on adding value to its natural resources if it is to fully harness the opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area.
She stated this on Thursday at the Streamsowers & Köhn 20th Anniversary Business Forum, where she stressed that value addition and beneficiation are essential to Africa’s industrialisation and long-term economic growth.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, she said the AfCFTA goes beyond the elimination of tariffs, serving as a framework for industrialisation, value addition, and job creation across the continent.
“AfCFTA is not only about tariffs; it is also about value addition. Africa has to stop exporting raw materials. We need to add value and ensure that beneficiation is done on the continent,” she said.
Okala also said Africa’s economic transformation would depend on the effective implementation of the AfCFTA rather than on the signing of trade agreements alone.
“We have moved beyond negotiations. The success of AfCFTA will be measured by the extent to which businesses can access new markets, trade seamlessly across borders, and benefit from the opportunities created by the agreement,” she said.
She noted that Nigeria had intensified efforts to implement the agreement under the leadership of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, including the development of simplified AfCFTA guides in six languages to help businesses understand and take advantage of opportunities under the trade pact.
Okala called for stronger collaboration among governments, regulators, and the private sector to eliminate barriers to trade and investment and build a truly integrated African market.
“As we move from policy to implementation, our collective responsibility is to ensure that the opportunities created by AfCFTA become practical realities for businesses, particularly MSMEs, women-owned enterprises, and young entrepreneurs across the continent,” she said.
Cisco is exploring artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions to support smallholder farmers in Nigeria, as part of efforts to expand digital inclusion and technology adoption.
The initiative focuses on improving agricultural productivity through accessible, data-driven tools.
The move aligns with growing collaboration between Nigeria and the United States under the Commercial and Investment Partnership, which prioritises the digital economy, agriculture and infrastructure.
Speaking at the 2026 World Business Chicago, Brian Tippens, chief social impact and inclusion Officer at Cisco, said the company is assessing practical AI applications to help farmers combine local knowledge with data insights.
He said Cisco is exploring tools such as AI-enabled WhatsApp communities, geospatial mapping and weather intelligence to support day-to-day farming decisions.
The approach reflects a shift towards low-cost, mobile-first solutions suited to rural environments.
Tippens added that the Cisco Foundation is investing in early-stage startups developing technologies for local agricultural challenges.
Industry analysts note that AI adoption in emerging markets depends on locally relevant solutions, rather than large-scale enterprise deployments alone.
Beyond agriculture, Cisco plans to expand digital skills development in Nigeria through programmes such as the Cisco Networking Academy’s One Million Learners initiative.
Tippens said the programme also supports partnerships with organisations working with persons with disabilities, including those developing tools for people with visual impairments.
He added that Cisco’s social impact strategy aims to improve access to technology and promote inclusion, including in conflict-affected regions such as Borno State.
Cisco’s initiatives form part of broader efforts to link digital skills, connectivity and AI adoption to economic development in Nigeria.
Federal Government has launched a nationwide Artificial Intelligence (AI) capacity-building programme for teachers in Federal Unity Colleges, with about 11,700 educators set to acquire digital skills aimed at improving classroom instruction and preparing students for a technology-driven future.
The initiative advanced with the signing of the Terms of Reference (ToR) between the Federal Ministry of Education and ICEDT Consult Limited, paving the way for the nationwide implementation of the AI Teacher Capacity Development Programme.
The programme, to be implemented through the ministry’s Education Support Services Department, is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to modernise Nigeria’s education sector, strengthen teacher professionalism and equip students with skills required in the digital economy under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking during the signing ceremony in Abuja, the Director of the Education Support Services Department, Gabriel Amudipe, described the initiative as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s teaching workforce and the future of education.
He said the nationwide rollout followed the successful completion of a pilot phase conducted in selected Federal Unity Colleges.
According to him, the implementation model developed by ICEDT Consult Limited will ensure effective coordination and quality delivery of the programme across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Amudipe urged officials responsible for monitoring the project to ensure strict compliance with the implementation guidelines and maintain the standards achieved during the pilot phase.
“The ministry remains committed to supporting innovative initiatives that strengthen teacher professionalism, improve learning outcomes and promote the responsible integration of emerging technologies into education,” he said.
Earlier, the Deputy Director of the Education Support Services Department, Oladele Fapohunda, described the programme as a strategic intervention designed to deepen digital innovation across Federal Unity Colleges.
He stressed that collaboration among all stakeholders would be essential to achieving the objectives of the initiative nationwide.
Also speaking, the Head of Strategic Partnerships and Learning Scientist at ICEDT Consult Limited, Dr Abdulrahman Orosanya, said the Federal Government approved the national rollout after the successful pilot implementation in six Federal Unity Colleges representing Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
According to Orosanya, the pilot demonstrated the potential of Artificial Intelligence to improve lesson planning, classroom delivery, assessment methods and teachers’ productivity.
He said the nationwide implementation would strengthen teachers’ digital competencies, improve instructional delivery and support the government’s vision of building a technology-driven education system capable of producing globally competitive graduates equipped with 21st-century skills.
The ceremony ended with the formal signing of the Terms of Reference by officials of the Federal Ministry of Education and ICEDT Consult Limited, signalling the commencement of preparations for full implementation across all Federal Unity Colleges.
The ministry said the programme would directly train about 11,700 teachers, while thousands of students across the country’s Federal Unity Colleges are expected to benefit through improved classroom instruction, increased digital innovation and the responsible application of Artificial Intelligence in teaching and learning.
It reaffirmed its commitment to working with relevant stakeholders to modernise Nigeria’s education system, improve teacher quality and deliver inclusive, equitable and future-ready education nationwide.
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