Global telecom employment fell 2.1% year-on-year in Q2 2026, extending a decline dating to 2016, according to a report by MTN Consulting.

The report’s author, Matt Walker, chief analyst at MTN Consulting, said the panel of 145 operators employed about 4.2 million people, down from 4.3 million a year earlier. The 2.1% fall exceeded the decade-long annual average of 1.7%.

The job cuts did not consistently reduce labour costs or establish a direct link between AI adoption, smaller workforces and wider margins. Among 72 sizable operators, MTN Consulting found no measurable relationship between headcount changes and trailing four-quarter EBIT margins.

It also found no consistent link between AI-related news and restructuring. Telefónica cut its headcount by 19.3%, the steepest reduction in the industry, yet had no tagged AI-automation news, while SK Telecom drew the most AI coverage and reduced headcount by 6.2%.

The findings were less positive than those in other industry surveys. Nvidia’s fourth annual State of AI in Telecommunications report stated about 65% of respondents reported AI-driven revenue gains or annual cost reductions above 5%.

MTN Consulting found fewer than 20% of global operators increased revenue by more than 5% a year, while fewer than 20% cut operating expenses by over 5%. Only BSNL, Iliad and MTN Group achieved both, representing less than 2% of the global market.

MTN Consulting said the gap suggested survey responses reflected industry optimism rather than audited operating results.

Labour costs per employee across the global panel rose 6.8% year-on-year to about $62,500. Higher compensation per worker more than offset savings from job cuts, increasing the industry’s total labour bill.

Asia was the only region to add workers during the quarter, with headcount up 0.6%, largely due to hiring by operators including KDDI. Europe posted the largest decline at 3.4%, partly reflecting Telefonica’s 19.3% reduction. Employment fell 2.8% in the Middle East and Africa and 1.2% in the Americas.

Operators who cut staff were more likely to improve operating margins, but better performance was not assured. Event studies dating to 2011 found they outperformed operators which did not cut staff in about 57% to 67% of cases.

MTN Consulting advised operators, vendors and investors to assess workforce changes and automation returns using detailed financial data rather than broad technology claims.

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Apple, Nvidia and EchoStar chair Charlie Ergen reportedly committed $25 million each for the construction of US President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project, which has raised $333 million to date in private donations.

The Washington Post reported “the vast majority of the funds raised came from companies and wealthy individuals with interests before the federal government” after obtaining an internal spreadsheet used to track contributions for the fundraising effort.

The Post noted more than three-quarters of the funding was pledged in amounts of at least $5 million, with Amazon, Comcast, Microsoft, and T-Mobile US among the largest corporate donors.

It stated Nvidia and Ergen, among others, requested their donations be kept anonymous

The news site noted companies or executives of firms that have had contracts with the federal government during Trump’s second term accounted for about half of the total funds raised for the project which also includes office space and an underground military facility.

According to internal contractor documents obtained by the Post, the total cost of the project is now $600 million after Trump initially stated he and wealthy donors would pay the estimated $400 million project, although Reuters reported he later unsuccessfully asked Congress for $1 billion. The Post noted Trump’s name did not appear on the list of 67 donors who contributed $10,000 or more to the project.

The funds for the project are administered through a complex, multi-step pipeline involving a private nonprofit, federal agencies and direct oversight by the Trump administration.

The news agency reported Nvidia became “a top contributor to the ballroom in October 2025, nearly three months after it struck a groundbreaking pact with Trump to sell advanced microchips to China despite national security concerns”.

“As an American company, our support for the United States is paramount, and independent of any business interests,” a representative for Nvidia told Mobile World Live. “We were proud to be able to make a donation to a nonpartisan trust that serves all Americans and have said so publicly since the donation was made.” 

Apple and EchoStar did not reply to requests for comment on their contributions.

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