This post was originally published on Network Computing
There’s hope for enterprises and vendors struggling to assess changes in the way they build and bring products to market during turbulent tariff times and geopolitical unrest.
PwC reported that the average tariff rate on U.S. imports for the technology, media and telecom (TMT) industry could rise from 2% to 44%, significantly increasing costs. The professional services firm said that $739 billion in goods were imported in 2024, with $597 billion entering duty-free. New tariffs could apply to the full $739 billion, greatly affecting the industry.
Estimated annual tariffs would jump from $13 billion to $324 billion — $133 billion from currently dutiable goods and $192 billion from goods that were previously duty-free. PwC warned that this shift could heavily affect U.S. multinationals that rely on free trade agreements by disrupting established sourcing strategies.
Tariff Tumult’s Effect on Telecom Industry
According to David Stehlin, CEO of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), shifting tariff policies are placing a growing burden on the sector, for both small suppliers and large manufacturers.
“Our members are working hard to adapt, but the uncertainty adds cost, delays and risk at a time when we should be accelerating deployment of critical digital infrastructure,” Stehlin said.
— Read the rest of this post, which was originally published on Network Computing.
