Total communications industry revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2013-2021, by sector

The total revenue generated by the communications industry in the United Kingdom (UK) has been slowly declining from 2007 to 2021. In 2021, the largest sector for revenue was telecommunications, with 31.1 billion British pounds.

Telecoms industry in the UK

Of the sub-sectors in the communications industry, it is not a surprise that post as a form of communication has reduced. However, what is rather interesting is that with the transition to the digital age, the telecommunications industry and its fixed-line network access and call revenues have experienced a dramatic decline over the past decade, even though the number of fixed lines in the United Kingdom has stayed relatively consistent over this same time period. The average monthly retail revenue per subscriber figures reflect this phenomenon, as it appears that mobile communications has become cheaper for users in the UK.

Changes to the communications industry

Changing revenue streams in the communications industry over the past decade is likely at least partially due to the competition of free social media platforms, and their alternative methods to instant messaging and video calling. Some of these platforms include WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and more recently, Telegram. These platforms give users the opportunity to communicate with others, without paying any money at all.