Spin-offs and sales: tower developments are reaching new heights

Standard
Spin-offs and sales: tower developments are reaching new heights
This insight is locked

Access this insight with a Standard plan. Contact our sales team to get started.

Report details

Spin-offs and sales: tower developments are reaching new heights
Pages
2
Released
MAY 2020

An increasing number of mobile operators are offloading or restructuring tower assets, typically to raise cash, pay down debt or finance investment programmes. The network model for operators is shifting away from traditional sole ownership (i.e. vertical integration) towards shared and/or leased access. This will result in a more diverse telecoms network landscape in the future, with full stack, hybrid wholesale/retail and 5G private networks all in play. Independent tower companies have been the main acquirers of operator sites, utilising multi-tenancy on passive infrastructure as the overall driver of profitability. Regulators, meanwhile, will be alive to the possibility that continued deal-making could lead to a concentration of a substantial portfolio of assets in a small number of hands.

Authors

How to access this report

Annual subscription: Subscribe to our research modules for comprehensive access to more than 200 reports per year.

Enquire about subscription

Contact our research team

Get in touch with us to find out more about our research topics and analysis.

Contact our research team

Media

To cite our research, please see our citation policy in our Terms of Use, or contact our Media team for more information.

Learn more

Related research

The winner, the biggest mover and the surprise: what operators focused on at MWC 2026

Standard
Topic
Mobile networks and connectivity

GSMA Intelligence's Chart of the Month is a visual way of telling an important story in the mobile and broader tech ecosystem. From the shape and size of markets to trends in consumer behaviour, we aim to provide food for thought through informative visuals designed to bring colour and clarity to complex issues facing the industry. This edition looks at which topics telecoms operators focused on at MWC Barcelona 2026.

This insight is locked

Operators at MWC Barcelona 2026: strategies, innovation and messages shaping the industry

Standard
Topic
Mobile networks and connectivity

This report examines operators’ engagement at MWC Barcelona 2026, highlighting their announcements, innovations, strategy updates and messaging, in addition to examining implications for telecoms ecosystem players. We show our findings for 17 major operators across 12 areas of focus, including AI, 5G, B2B, B2C, cloud/edge and emerging tech such as APIs and non-terrestrial networks.

This insight is locked

MWC Barcelona 2026: AI and sovereignty battle for dominance in a post-5G world

Standard
Topic
Mobile networks and connectivity

Around 105,000 people from 207 countries attended MWC Barcelona 2026. The show attracted more than 2,900 exhibitors, including telecoms operators, vendors and firms from across the broader technology ecosystem. This report examines the key announcements and innovations that took centre stage, what came as a surprise and what it all means for telecoms and the wider TMT industry.

This insight is locked
Full access
Get full access to our research now, get in touch with us to find out more about our research topics and analysis
  • 200 reports a year
  • 50 million data points
  • Over 350 metrics