Defining the future telco — and what it means for operators and their partners
Consumers need protection from fast-evolving cyber threats. Telcos are in a position to deliver credible solutions to this attractive market, building both increased consumer loyalty and new revenue streams.
Taken in isolation, investment in 5G has thus far failed to deliver on its promises – both technically and commercially. In this combined market forecast for edge computing, private networks and telecom APIs until 2030, we identify how telcos can leverage all their assets to help deliver on the original ambitions of 5G.
Analysing the relationship between NaaS implementation and customer success metrics in enterprise network services
Telcos need new skill sets to enable their organisations to compete and add value like technology companies. Insights from our Future skills tracker tool show that telcos remain behind techcos in the penetration of key role types and provide direction on the expert capabilities required to become more innovative, agile and technology-driven overall.
The hype around private networks has died down and left many with a sense that they have ‘failed’ as a source of new growth. But this market still offers good opportunities for those who know how to find them.
In this report, we discuss the extent to which AI adoption will transform enterprise networking and set out a framework of key questions that decision-makers should consider when developing and designing their AI strategies.
At MWC 2025, we held the Digital Health Summit in collaboration with the GSMA. At the event, we explored the opportunities and the challenges in smart hospitals, IoT, direct-to-consumer services and AI in healthcare. This report outlines the key takeaways and insights from the summit.
Who is most likely to win the battle for contextually aware personal assistants on smartphones – and is there an opportunity for telcos?
AI will create large potential opportunities for telcos in connectivity and use case enablement. But telcos must manage expectations and prioritise their investments carefully.
This report outlines the main findings of our latest quantitative research on the global demand for edge computing services towards 2030. We identify the total revenue across the value chain and explore the growing demand for network, regional and on-premises edge across 20 use cases and 16 verticals globally.
This report assesses the impacts of delays in data centre construction on operational financial metrics, budget and internal rate of return, and examines the role of effective reporting in ensuring on-time delivery.
We recently surveyed 104 SMBs in Saudi Arabia to understand this market and help cybersecurity solution providers address the Saudi opportunity. It follows a survey in seven other markets (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, the UK and the US) executed in late 2024.
The range of optional additional features in 5G has expanded massively since previous generations. This report covers the technology, use cases and timelines for six of the less-discussed domains of 5G evolution – RedCap, sidelink, URLLC and time-sensitive networking, drone connectivity, precise positioning and real-time communication.
It was no surprise that AI dominated MWC this year. But there were lots of other notable trends on the rise – including cybersecurity and data centres – and some that were disappointingly overlooked. Find out what the STL Partners team saw and missed at MWC 2025.
The development of agents underpinned by data and knowledge assets looks set to be a major challenge for telcos. It may take up to ten years for telcos to truly master agents, but they will be key to the realisation of fully autonomous networks.
Trusted intelligence is crucial for operators in progressing to Level 4+
autonomous networks. This research explores the role of digital twins, agentic AI and operator knowledge in achieving trusted intelligence.
As the deployment of AI/ML ramps up, telcos need to develop an ‘intelligence architecture’, supporting the move towards Level 4 and 5 in the TM Forum’s Autonomous Network Framework. How will such an intelligent architecture support the self-healing network?
Our research focuses on how telcos and their partners can embrace industry disruption.
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