Telco customer inflow: Accelerating volume comes at the cost of value

In a hyper-competitive market, the traditional instinct is to chase volume which is becoming structurally dangerous. In part 2 of our 4-part series, we examine why the real challenge is no longer attracting more customers, but attracting those that operators can retain, monetize, and grow profitably over time. Results from our Global Telecom Study 2026 – 35 markets, 18,000 consumers – show where the challenge is most acute and what operators should do. 

For years, telco acquisition strategy has been a volume game. Net additions and market share make growth visible and reward the teams chasing it. But a growing customer base built on the wrong customers erodes revenue, inflates churn costs, and creates a retention problem that compounds over time, resulting into a “washing machine”.

In a market defined by declining global ARPU (-2.6%), near-identical product features across operators, and budget players gaining structural momentum, who you acquire…