Cellnex sees AI, 5G and digital sovereignty driving Europe’s next infrastructure cycle
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Cellnex said that Europe remains in the middle of its 5G adoption cycle, with 5G-enabled devices accounting for roughly half of mobile connections in Western Europe today
In sum – what to know:
Traffic growth – Mobile data traffic continues to grow above 20%, driven by video, FWA, and 5G adoption, while future AI applications are expected to increase network quality requirements.
Infrastructure demand – Cellnex says Europe needs greater network densification, AI-ready infrastructure, and continued investment to improve competitiveness and meet emerging regulatory requirements.
Satellite limits – Cellnex’s management argues direct-to-device satellite services complement terrestrial networks by extending coverage, but cannot match their capacity, indoor performance or reliability.
Cellnex Telecom used its second-quarter earnings call to argue that Europe’s next phase of digital competitiveness will depend on sustained investment in mobile infrastructure, as executives pointed to accelerating traffic growth, network densification, AI-ready connectivity, and regulatory requirements as structural drivers of long-term demand.
The company’s management also sought to reassure investors that emerging technologies such as direct-to-device satellite services do not weaken the long-term investment case for telecom infrastructure.
Cellnex’s chief operating officer Simone Battiferri said global mobile network traffic increased 22% between the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, confirming that demand for mobile capacity continues to expand. However, he stressed that the current acceleration is “not yet AI-driven.”
“AI applications are still a very small portion of total traffic, let’s say, low single digits today,” Battiferri said. “The main growth drivers remain video streaming, the expansion of FWA, and the increasing penetration of 5G devices.”
The executive also said that Europe remains in the middle of its 5G adoption cycle, with 5G-enabled devices accounting for roughly half of mobile connections in Western Europe today and expected to approach 95% by the end of the decade.
According to Battiferri, 5G subscribers already consume around three times more data than 4G users, while traffic per 5G subscriber is expected to double over the coming years. As more users migrate to 5G, overall traffic growth will continue to require additional network capacity simply to prevent congestion and maintain service quality, he said.
Looking further ahead, Battiferri said future AI-enabled applications, industrial automation, connected devices, and wearables will place new demands on mobile networks by increasing requirements for reliability, latency, uplink capacity, and indoor coverage.
“The question is shifting from do I have coverage to do I have guaranteed quality,” he said. “The only way to solve that equation is to bring the network physically closer to the user. That means densification,” he said.
During the call, the firm’s management also addressed growing investor questions about direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity, arguing that while the technology has an important role, it should not be viewed as a substitute for terrestrial mobile infrastructure.
“Satellite is a powerful and valuable technology,” Battiferri said. “D2D can play an important role in the broader connectivity ecosystem, especially in remote or underserviced areas where terrestrial coverage is technically difficult or impossible or even economically inefficient to deploy.”
However, he said terrestrial and satellite networks are fundamentally designed to solve different problems. “Terrestrial networks are optimized for capacity, latency, reliability, and indoor performance. Satellite networks are optimized for extending coverage over very large areas,” he said.
He also highlighted indoor performance as a key limitation because approximately two-thirds of mobile traffic originates indoors, where satellite signals face structural propagation challenges.
“Satellite direct-to-device does not replace the need for macro towers, network densification or dedicated indoor solutions,” Battiferri said. “As mobile traffic growth and quality requirements increase, especially in urban areas, investment in terrestrial mobile infrastructure will remain essential.”
Cellnex’s chief executive officer Marco Patuano broadened the discussion beyond traffic trends, arguing that Europe faces a structural competitiveness challenge in mobile connectivity.
According to Patuano, Europe’s average mobile download speed remains materially below North America, China, Korea, and Japan, making additional infrastructure investment increasingly important for competitiveness, resilience, and security.
He cited GSMA estimates showing Europe will require approximately €475 billion ($547 billion) in mobile investment over the next decade, including around €270 billion to maintain the normal technology investment cycle and a further €200 billion if Europe wants to regain global connectivity leadership.
