Our SMB cybersecurity survey in December 2024 highlighted the potential for telcos to address this segment. This report explores the approaches of those seeking to capture the opportunity in the small and medium-sized business segment in Europe.

Exploring how telcos are servicing SMB cybersecurity needs in Europe

STL Partners’ SMB survey (conducted in December 2024) spoke to IT decision-makers about their cybersecurity needs and behaviours. Findings suggested a growing market for cybersecurity – and telcos’ right to play.

SMBs are aware of telco cybersecurity propositions and would consider buying from them. But what are telcos offering to small and medium-sized businesses from a cybersecurity perspective?

This report evaluates how key telcos are positioning cybersecurity propositions for SMBs in Europe. We adopted the perspective of an SMB cybersecurity buyer, and used information and references from telco websites to draw conclusions about their offerings.

Each telco is assessed holistically, according to their overall approach, as well as on a country-by-country basis.

• Country-level detail is accompanied by headline observations as to the strengths and relative weaknesses of the telco’s approach (areas where there is room for improvement).
• There is a separate slide for an evaluation of each telco’s home market.
• We have noted telco partners where the information is visible on their websites.

If you are not a subscriber, enter your details below to download an extract of the report

How do telco approaches to SMB cybersecurity differ?

We compare the telcos’ overall approaches based on:

• Cybersecurity capabilities mentioned
• Overall focus on the SMB segment
• Cybersecurity portfolios targeted at the small and medium-sized business segment (less than 250 employees)
• Evidence of a differentiated market approach for cybersecurity.

This research was conducted during July and August 2025.

Key telco approaches for small and medium companies: Comparison of European telcos at a glance

Table of contents

• Executive summary
• Introduction
• Approaches of leading European telcos
  • Telefónica
  • BT
  • Deutsche Telekom
  • Orange
  • Vodafone
• Conclusions and recommendations
• References

Related research

• Connect and protect: Telcos’ avenues of growth in consumer cybersecurity
• Cybersecurity: What do small and medium businesses in Saudi Arabia need?
• Cybersecurity: What do small and medium businesses need?

Author

Nicola Warren

Senior Analyst

Nicola Warren is a senior analyst, leading the Transformation Leadership research service at STL Partners.