



Weak tech spending by telcos could put IT revival on hold
Mint analysis of these firms—Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, HCL Technologies, Wipro and Tech Mahindra—revealed that revenue from the communications and media vertical was down nearly 3% from $8.49 billion in FY23 to $8.25 billion in FY24. Tech Mahindra was almost single-handedly responsible for this decline, having lost $320 million or 12.1% in annual revenue from telecom clients in FY24. A consensus of three analysts compiled by Mint projected a further downside of 3-5% in telecom revenue for the industry’s top five firms in FY25.
At this rate, these firms could lose more than $400 million in net revenue from telecom clients – a substantial figure, given the already weak revenue growth projections for the fiscal year. For context, Infosys expects overall revenue to grow 1-3% in constant currency terms, while HCL Technologies expects 3-5% revenue growth. Wipro, which only provides quarterly guidance, expects June-quarter revenue to decline 1.5% or grow 0.5% at best.
Also read: Can electric cars electrify muted IT firms in a dull year? To be sure, the top five firms rely on telecom clients to varying degrees. Tech Mahindra earns more than one-third of its net revenue (36.9%) from telecom clients and could thus be hit the hardest if the projected revenue slowdown in this vertical materialises. Infosys draws 12.3% of its annual revenue from telecom clients, while HCL Technologies gets 9.2% of its revenue from them.
Read on livemint.com