GSMA Intelligence estimated the cost of replacing equipment made by so-called high risk vendors (HRV) from telecoms networks in Europe will cost between €30 billion to €40 billion, based on data from operators representing almost half of the market.

In the study, independently commissioned and sponsored by seven operator groups, GSMA Intelligence put the cost of replacing mobile networks at €16 billion to €22 billion, equating to around €30 to €42 per mobile connection. This is driven by high exposure to HRV equipment and the cost of replacing equipment such as base stations.

Fixed network costs will hit up to €5 billion, representing the costs of fibre terminals, gateways and fixed wireless equipment. Transport networks, which includes optical switches, multiplexers and amplifiers will cost between €9 billion and €12 billion.

The figures cover only direct equipment replacement and exclude write-offs of existing assets, disruption cost, capacity constraints and broader impacts on future investment plans.

Higher prices
GSMA Intelligence further warned excluding HRV’s could reduce competitive pressure, leading to a 24% price increase in mobile network equipment, 19% in fixed network equipment and 10% in transport network equipment.

Higher prices would therefore raise operator investment costs by €8.5 billion between 2027 and 2030, with current budgets for mobile networks set at nearly €42 billion.

The European Commission outlined a proposal making it mandatory to “de-risk” European mobile telecoms networks from high-risk third party suppliers in January, as part of revisions to its Cybersecurity Act.

Over a five year period, it estimated phasing out equipment could lead to annual costs of €3.4 billion to €4.3 billion for operators, while investment in “trusted suppliers” could grow up to €2 billion per year.

Operators Deutsche Telekom, Fastweb, MEO, Orange, Telefonica, United Group and Vodafone Group took part in the GSMA Intelligence study, which was based on limited datasets provided by third parties.

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Ukraine operators Kyivstar, Lifecell and Vodafone switched on their latest open 5G pilot network in capital city Kyiv, the fourth location in the country and their largest 5G testbed to date.

The move follows earlier 5G pilots this year in the cities of Lviv and Kharkiv and the town of Borodyanka.

Borodyanka in particular suffered severe devastation during the Russian occupation in early 2022.

The country’s Ministry of Digital Transformation stated almost 1.5 million Ukrainians have already tested the country’s 5G networks, with peak download speeds of more than 1 Gb/s and averages of 600-700 Mb/s.

5G is operating in two frequency bands: 3500MHz (for high data transmission speeds) and 700MHz (to ensure wider coverage).

More than 300 base stations are supporting the pilot network in Kyiv. It is based on Non-Standalone 5G technology (a 5G RAN using a 4G core network).

The southern city of Odesa is expected to be the next testbed.

It is not clear when commercial 5G services will be activated in Ukraine by the country’s operators but a statement from the Ministry said “Our task now is to qualitatively test 5G technology in order to scale it across the country after the end of martial law.”

According to GSMA Intelligence, 4G accounts for 78 per cent of mobile connections in Ukraine, offering peak download speeds of 1Gb/s.

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Consumer use during off-grid travel was cited as a primary driver in early direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity adoption in Australia and New Zealand by Gartner analysts, who forecast more than 1.5 million connections on the service in 2027 across the nations.

The projected number of low Earth orbit (LEO) D2D connections next year would be up from an expected 673,000 in 2026. In 2025 the figure for the two countries stood at 251,000.

Gartner noted end user spending on the service last year was $5 million. This is expected to hit $23 million this year and reach $66 million in 2027.

The rise in use of the technology in the countries comes during a period of early rollouts and limited functionality, with initial launches restricted to specific handsets, areas and messaging.   

Gartner senior director analyst Khurram Shahzad highlighted early adoption was being driven by use for safety and in recreational pursuits by consumers, but enterprise demand was “steadily increasing for field operations in industries such as mining, agriculture, forestry and transportation” due to the need for continuous connectivity for operations and worker safety.

“Australia and New Zealand are among the early adopters of LEO D2D satellite communications due to the vast remoteness and persistent gaps in terrestrial mobile coverage in both countries,” Shahzad said.

“Adoption is accelerating rapidly as services move beyond early trials and into broader commercial availability, demonstrating how satellite connectivity can extend mobile coverage without the need for traditional infrastructure.”

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