Telecommunications Resellers NAICS 517121

May 7, 2026 - Vulnerabilities Discovered in Satellite Communications

• Close to half of the communications beamed from satellites to the ground that the researchers at the University of California San Diego were able to listen in on were not encrypted. This included sensitive data including cellular text messages, voice calls, as well as sensitive military information, data from internal corporate and bank networks, and the in-flight online activity of airline passengers. The researchers said that they used $800 worth of equipment to focus on geosynchronous (GEO) satellites, which orbit the earth at a fixed altitude and position around the equator. "Given that any individual with a clear view of the sky and $800 can set up their own GEO interception station from Earth, one would expect that GEO satellite links carrying sensitive commercial and government network traffic would use standardized link and/or network layer encryption to prevent eavesdroppers," the researchers wrote in a follow-up report.
• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has ended the telecommunications cyber rules enacted after the Salt Typhoon espionage campaign. Salt Typhoon involved the hacking of prominent telecommunications companies in the United States, stealing the metadata of many Americans. The termination comes after several US senators urged the commissioners against voting these cyber rules away. The FCC argues that the previous rules were "legally erroneous and ineffective at promoting cybersecurity." The commission claims that it is advocating for a "targeted approach to promoting effective cybersecurity productions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach."

• Telecommunications industry core products and services are becoming commodities according to professional services firm PWC. Firms have difficulty raising prices while telecommunications service providers face a continual need to invest in infrastructure. PWC notes, however, that there are always niches of expansion and opportunities for companies in industries with relatively slow growth. A sweeping reconfiguration of legacy industries will create a greater demand for connectivity and communications services in the coming years, according to PWC. Key megatrends within the telco industry itself are causing a sweeping internal reconfiguration, which is opening up many new opportunities. These include strategic investments in AI, fixed connectivity, and B2B service; working with investors and regulators to create opportunities to optimize market structure; and deploying deals to build scale.
• Telecommunications resale industry employment decreased slightly and average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased slightly during the first two months of 2026, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Telecommunications reseller sales are forecast to increase at a 4.24% compounded annual rate from 2025 to 2029, comparable to the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc.