Canadian Communications Service Provider Capex Spending, 2024–2025: Capital Intensity Keeps Falling

This IDC Market Perspective details Canadian communications service provider capex spending for 2024–2025. Canadian communication service providers total capex investments will fall for a third year in a row in 2025, nearing spending levels last seen in 2020 when capex spending was hampered by COVID-19. The top 3 Canadian communications service providers by capex spend, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, and TELUS, are expected to hold a combined 77% share of all capex in the Canadian communications service provider market for 2025. The decisions they make on their capital investment budgets largely determine the movement of capex spending for the entire market. “Total capex investment is dropping for a third year in a row in the Canadian communications service provider market,” says Praveen Datta, research director, Canadian Communications Services at IDC. “Despite this total decline, for 2025, we expect growth to continue for wireless capex as providers continue their 5G investments, with a noticeable pullback in wireline capex due to fibre build completions and reactions to CRTC mandated fibre wholesale.”