Mexico’s ICT Sector Grows 4.6% During 2Q26

Mexico’s ICT sector grew 4.6% in revenue during the second quarter of 2026, but rising hardware prices, longer delivery times and cautious customer spending are creating supply and execution pressures for technology businesses as demand for AI infrastructure increases.

Mexico’s information and communications technology (ICT) sector expanded 4.6% in revenue during the second quarter of 2026, outperforming the country’s 2.1% GDP growth. However, the expansion is taking place alongside higher hardware prices, extended delivery times, and cautious investment decisions that could create bottlenecks toward the end of the year.

According to SelectNET, the pressure is concentrated across components such as hardware, servers, and storage, where demand associated with the construction of AI data centers, particularly in the United States, has tightened supply. 

Standard products that previously required four weeks to deliver now take about eight weeks. Customized configurations can take as long as 12 weeks, creating a potential accumulation of deliveries and implementation projects for the final months of 2026.

AI Demand Reshapes ICT Supply Chains

The increase in demand for computing infrastructure is affecting manufacturers, distributors, and integrators across the Mexican ICT ecosystem. These businesses are among the most exposed to the current shortage because hardware represents about 70% of their revenue. However, industry leaders are responding by adjusting equipment configurations to reduce the impact on prices and delivery schedules.

Some participants in the supply chain have also brought forward purchases to maintain local inventories and protect price stability. Manufacturers, wholesalers, and integrators are prioritizing communication with end users as they manage changing delivery commitments.

The pressure on hardware supply is occurring as Mexico becomes increasingly connected to the North American AI infrastructure buildout. Computer equipment exports from Mexico rose sharply during the first half of 2026, reflecting growing US demand for computing infrastructure and reinforcing the importance of regional supply chains.

For the domestic ICT market, however, the effect is more complex. Greater demand for infrastructure supports activity across the technology ecosystem, but constrained availability can increase project costs and extend implementation schedules.

Services Lead Sector Growth

The strongest performance within the ICT ecosystem is coming from service providers, which recorded 8.5% growth. Cloud services and continued interest in AI remain the main drivers of this expansion. 

SelectNET notes, however, that the current interest in AI has not yet translated into significant billing volumes for local providers. The distinction highlights a gap between demand for AI-related capabilities and the revenue that Mexican technology companies are generating from those initiatives.

Telecommunications businesses face a different set of priorities. Connectivity quality is increasingly considered a basic requirement rather than a differentiator, shifting competition toward customer retention and network symmetry.

The market is therefore evolving on multiple fronts. Service providers are benefiting from cloud and AI demand, while telecommunications companies are concentrating on service quality and retention. Hardware-oriented businesses are managing supply constraints and higher costs.

Across the ecosystem, companies identify finance, government, healthcare, and education as areas with concrete opportunities for technology projects.

Cautious Spending Adds Pressure

Supply constraints are not the only challenge facing ICT companies. A cautious economic environment is also affecting project timelines as customers postpone investment decisions or extend the time required to close contracts.

The combination of delayed purchasing decisions and higher hardware costs creates a more complex operating environment for technology providers. Companies must manage longer procurement cycles while also accounting for price changes and uncertain delivery schedules.

The government sector could provide additional activity during the second half of the year. Mexico’s federal government exercised MX$9.7 billion (US$569 million) of its MX$33.4 billion ICT budget during the first six months of 2026 (US$1.945 billion), equivalent to 29% of the annual allocation.

That leaves approximately MX$23.7 billion available for the remainder of the year (US$1.390 billion). Select analyst Arely Reyes says spending patterns through June remain broadly consistent with previous years, when a larger portion of government technology budgets was exercised later in the fiscal cycle.

For ICT suppliers, the timing of this spending could influence revenue distribution during the second half of 2026, particularly as businesses also contend with longer hardware lead times.