The Centro Studi TIM policy brief analyses a structural divergence: while the number of infrastructure-based operators is declining in most mobile markets, the European Union is moving in the opposite direction and now has the highest average number of mobile network operators per national market worldwide.
This trend, which drives the market towards smaller-scale operators, is significant for investment and the deployment of new 5G networks, as GSMA Intelligence's analysis of European markets also shows. A possible sign of change comes from the new draft Merger Guidelines, published by the European Commission in April 2026. Alongside the traditional effects on competition and prices, the draft proposes taking into account the contribution that a transaction may make in terms of innovation, security, digital infrastructure and European competitiveness.