Breath of fresh air for the mobile telecommunications market

There seems to be hope for the new telecommunications regulatory framework.

According to a recent publication by CIU and data from INEGI, the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) registered a growth of 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year and 0.7% compared to the immediately preceding quarter.

Thus, the mobile telecommunications industry recorded its second consecutive quarter of expansion and recovery. Revenues in this segment grew 6.5% annually in nominal terms, with total revenues of 92.468 billion pesos. This represents a pace 5.4 times greater than that observed in the economy as a whole. Below are some details of the mobile market results during the second quarter of 2025, prior to the implementation of the new regulatory bodies that will replace the IFT, marking the beginning of a new era for competition and investment in the sector.

These figures mark the second consecutive quarter of expansion, generating optimism and progress in the industry. On the one hand, revenue from mobile services—which include voice, data, and value-added services—grew 5.3% annually, driven by the increase in the user base and continued mobile data usage.

In terms of equipment sales, there was a 7.3% increase, supported by the sales strategies implemented by the main operators to encourage customer migration to higher-value plans and device renewals. During this period, Telcel accounted for 66.3% of revenue, followed by AT&T with 22.4%, Telefónica with 6.7%, and the mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) as a whole, the remaining 4.6%.

Thus, Telcel reported 60.863 billion pesos (mdp) in this period, representing a 5.2% annual increase. The operator stands out for its accelerated growth in postpaid, which increased from 5.5% to 7.8%, while prepaid revenues reversed the negative trend of the first quarter (–2.5%) by growing 1.2%. By component, service revenues registered a substantial improvement, increasing from 0.8% to 4.0%, while the equipment segment reversed its decline from –14.5% to 9.2%.

For its part, AT&T Mexico achieved annual growth of 8.6% in Q2 2025, with revenues of 20.615 billion pesos. This performance is explained by a 7.6% increase in mobile services, driven by the expansion of its customer base, and a 10.2% increase in equipment sales, reflecting its commercial strategy focused on handset renewal and higher-value plans.

In third place, Telefónica Movistar, which is seeking to exit the country, reported a 2.8% annual decline, with revenues of 6.147 billion pesos. This result resulted from a 21.0% drop in equipment sales, partially offset by a 3.8% increase in service revenues. The operator indicated that sustained growth in postpaid accesses was the main driver of service revenues during the quarter.

And the Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) as a whole continued their rapid expansion, reaching 4.843 billion pesos, equivalent to a year-over-year growth of 31.1%. This performance is explained by the solid expansion of their user base, supported by niche offerings and digital commercial strategies.

According to these data, with annual increases of 1.3% in the first quarter and 6.5% in the second, the market has demonstrated its resilience and capacity to recover, supported by both the expansion of the user base and the recovery of the equipment sales component.

Telcel stands out, still holding two-thirds of the market, while AT&T and Telefónica maintain differentiated growth strategies, and MVNOs consolidate their role as niche players with double-digit expansions. The central challenge for the industry will be the implementation of the new regulatory bodies, which will replace the IFT and have the opportunity to balance competition and incentivize investment in infrastructure.