Telecoms 300 2019

The annual report on the world's most valuable and strongest telecoms operator and infrastructure brands.

• AT&T maintains position at top as world’s most valuable telecoms brand, with brand value of US$87.0bn
• European telcos rise through ranks: Vodafone up from 10th place last year to 7th this year, brand value of US$21.3bn
• Deutsche Telekom leading charge for European telcos, brand value up 15% to US$46.2bn
• Thailand’s AIS is world’s strongest telecoms brand, with brand strength index (BSI) score of 90.0 out of 100

Without a shadow of doubt, 5G has taken the spotlight. The next generation wireless air-interface technology is expected to steal the show for carriers and equipment vendors by delivering a heightened network capacity and offering a boost to performance and download speeds. Declines in revenue from voice services are being made up for by high usage of mobile data, so it is a no brainer for telco brands to be focused on upgrading their networks based on LTE technologies.

David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance