Asia-based telecommunications companies are leading global innovation in the telecom sector, outpacing their European and U.S. rivals, according to ABI Research’s report “Telco Innovation Benchmark: Winners and Losers in the Race to Future Revenues.”
The report ranks Asian operators at the top, led by China Mobile and NTT Docomo, followed by U.S. Tier One providers AT&T and Verizon. European operators such as Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone trail significantly behind industry leaders from Japan and China, including SoftBank and KDDI. China Mobile and NTT Docomo received the highest overall scores on the benchmark.
ABI Research’s study examined the innovation performance of the top 20 global operators by assessing multiple factors, including R&D spending, patent holdings, contributions to technical standards and strategic acquisitions. These metrics were used to provide a comprehensive view of each operator’s commitment to long-term innovation and revenue diversification beyond traditional connectivity services.
Dimitris Mavrakis, research director at ABI Research, noted that Asian operators—particularly NTT Docomo and China Mobile—achieved high marks across nearly all measured dimensions. “They are investing for the long term and recognize that 5G demands expertise beyond conventional connectivity,” Mavrakis said. This broader focus positions them to capture the emerging opportunities that 5G technologies will enable.
A key finding of the report is that NTT Docomo and China Mobile are actively expanding into what ABI Research terms “UnTelco” areas—business verticals beyond raw connectivity where operators can deliver industry-specific solutions and services. UnTelco strategies involve developing, acquiring and patenting technologies that address enterprise needs across sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, logistics and smart cities. For example, roughly 20% of NTT Docomo’s recent patents fall outside traditional connectivity domains, while China Mobile is increasing its efforts to acquire patents that support UnTelco capabilities.
The report also highlights progress in other regional markets. Ooredoo Group has launched its first commercial 5G service in its home market of Qatar, offering peak speeds up to 2.3 Gbps and latencies around 3.5 ms. Ooredoo plans to expand its 5G footprint using spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band, continuing the operator’s rollout to additional locations and use cases.
Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss topics like these and share concrete use cases? Attend co-located industry events such as the IoT Tech Expo, Blockchain Expo, AI & Big Data Expo, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo World Series, which host conferences in key technology hubs including Silicon Valley, London and Amsterdam. These events gather operators, vendors and enterprise buyers to explore the future of digital transformation, 5G-enabled services and UnTelco business models.