Paris-Based Orange CEO Said Telecoms Are Undervalued Backbone of Digital Economy

BARCELONA, March 7, 2026 — European telecommunications companies are capturing a fraction of the value they create, Orange's chief executive said Tuesday at Mobile World Congress, describing an industry that runs the backbone of the global digital economy while collecting less than 5 percent of its worth.

Christel Heydemann, chief executive of Orange, the Paris-based multinational telecommunications operator, said European carriers capture less than $1.5 trillion in a sector worth more than $30 trillion, growing at below 3 percent annually.

When networks fail or digital services are compromised, she said, payments stop, hospitals delay treatments, public services stall and factories go offline.