The Strategic Role of Telecom Providers Across the AI Value Chain
Telecommunications companies are key enablers of the digital economy, but have only captured a fraction of the value. Artificial intelligence and geopolitical forces now drive a reallocation of where data, compute and trust sit, redefining telcos’ relevance in the evolving AI landscape.
Telecommunications companies are key enablers of the digital economy, but have only captured a fraction of the value. Artificial intelligence and geopolitical forces now drive a reallocation of where data, compute and trust sit, redefining telcos’ relevance in the evolving AI landscape.
This white paper The Strategic Role of Telecom Providers Across the AI Value Chain outlines three strategic pathways that telecom companies can pursue to unlock scale and leadership in AI: the modern telco, the AI techco and the national sovereign champion. Within each pathway, the paper identifies strategic plays, defines the foundational and pathway-specific enablers required to execute them, and assesses them for value and feasibility.
Operators who harness AI to modernize the core connectivity business, strengthen economics and experience, and selectively build AI techco capabilities will create the most value in the next decade. Meanwhile, markets with strong sovereign agendas will allow telcos to co-shape national AI stacks in partnership with governments.