Post-peak 5G investment by telcos in the largest markets is mitigated by broadband- and AI-related investments as well as rising spend on CSP digital transformation initiatives

TBR expects the telecom infrastructure services (TIS) market to grow from 2026 to 2028 due to several factors, before contracting in the lead-up to the 6G spend cycle.

Growth catalysts through 2028 include:

• Communication service providers (CSPs), private equity firms and governments will provide funding for fiber access. Although this will spur growth, it will not be as intense as previously assumed, as fixed wireless access (FWA) is reducing the need for ubiquitous fiber to the premises (FTTP) deployment, while the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program’s (BEAD) shift toward technology-neutral funding materially changes broadband deployment assumptions by expanding the role of non-fiber access technologies. Satellite connectivity is also increasingly positioned to address rural and remote coverage gaps at a fraction of the long-term capex required for new terrestrial builds.
• Digital transformation initiatives and the implementation of complex technologies, such as multivendor open vRAN and AI RAN, will proliferate, driving growth in the professional and managed services markets.
• Hyperscaler investment across multiple network domains will intensify through the forecast period, both to support cloud and AI as well as for general connectivity, driving TIS spend growth for this customer segment.

Key trends for the telecom infrastructure services market

Influx of gear in the field delays impending decline in maintenance services spend

Maintenance services was the best-performing TIS segment in 2025, and the market will continue to grow through 2028 due to contracts to support gear in the field as CSPs maintain LTE networks, hyperscalers deploying more network infrastructure, and high-speed broadband networks proliferating.
 
By 2029 the maintenance services market will be challenged by consolidation among CSPs, AI technologies that drive more network automation, and commoditized hardware. Maintenance spend is unlikely to see a resurgence during the 6G era as this technology will be more software-centric than previous generations of cellular technology.
 

 

Hyperscalers, neoscalers, private equity firms and governments fund fiber-related TIS growth

Fiber access projects are driving a substantial portion of TIS market growth during the forecast period, supporting planning, design, network infrastructure integration, deployment and maintenance services. CSPs are deploying fiber not only for their consumer and enterprise connectivity businesses but also for hyperscaler AI workloads.
 
Hyperscalers will continue to increase fiber investment for use cases, including direct connections to cloud customers and within their data centers. Fiber-related TIS growth will be most apparent in the U.S., which is the largest country of spend for hyperscalers and neoscalers. The U.S. is seeing increased participation in the market from private equity firms and will be able to leverage government funds for closing the digital divide.

Level 4 autonomous networks has become more of a buzzword than an impactful trend to the TIS market

Enabling high autonomy of CSP networks will drive growing interest from CSPs in vendor managed and maintenance services as customers find increased value in use cases such as AI-based solutions for network maintenance, which will improve the efficiency of network operations. Vendors are bringing AI to managed services and optimization offerings in pursuit of Level 4 autonomous networking and have publicized commercial deployments of this technology, but deployments are occurring in niche areas of CSP networks and not at scale. Greater use of AI-driven networks will ultimately help reduce maintenance spend in the later years of the forecast period.

TBR’s Telecom Infrastructure Services Global Market Forecast

TBR’s Telecom Infrastructure Services Global Market Forecast tracks spend by CSPs, which includes telecom operators, cable operators and select hyperscalers, on infrastructure services. TBR categorizes infrastructure services into four distinct buckets: deployment services, maintenance services, professional services and managed services. This research includes current-year market sizing plus a five-year forecast across services segments and regions as well as examines growth drivers, top trends and leading market players. Vendor market share is also included.
 
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