The Telco generative AI adoption tracker is a database of announcements, trials and deployments of generative AI within telcos, listing the expected use cases across all functional areas of a telecom operator.

Last updated: August 2024

About the Telco generative AI adoption tracker

Tracker components

1. Generative AI telco adoption: Aggregates and displays a variety of generative AI use cases in telecoms globally from publicly available data.
2. Generative AI capabilities: Categorises distinct capabilities of generative AI and assesses their usefulness and availability, based on STL’s analysis.
3. Generative AI use case taxonomy: Provides a comprehensive list of potential future applications of generative AI in telecoms, identified through STL analysis.

This tracker links to our detailed report: Gen AI: Where should telcos start?

For the summary deck, click on ‘Download’ under ‘Download the full report’

For the full Excel database, download ‘Additional files’

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

GenAI – already more than just hype

Given the widespread hype surrounding generative AI (GenAI), it is crucial to critically assess how telecom operators are currently deploying this technology and the potential benefits it can bring in the future.

As of August 2024, we have recorded 201 generative AI implementations by 54 telecom operators globally. The number has almost quadrupled since the 56 implementations we recorded in May this year.

Distribution of recorded generative AI implementations by telcos

Source: STL Partners

In our analysis of these implementations, we collected various types of data, such as whether an implementation had been fully launched, was in the trial phase or was just an announcement (shown in graphic below), what large language model (LLM) was used, what the use case was, in what functional area of the telecom operator it was deployed and whether it related to an AI-as-a-service business model.

Status of generative AI implementations (share of implementations)

Source: STL Partners

This tracker provides a detailed and accurate overview of the current state and progress of GenAI adoption in the telecom industry, as well as future possibilities for the technology. Based on our findings so far, we expect the rapid adoption of GenAI by telcos and their partners to continue as they find new ways to derive value from it for themselves and their customers. By providing clear insights and data-driven analysis, STL Partners helps telecom operators navigate the complexities of generative AI adoption and strategically plan their next steps.

For the summary deck, click on ‘Download the full report’.
For the full Excel database, download ‘Additional files’

Table of Contents

• Executive summary
• Current implementations of generative AI by telcos
• Taxonomy of generative AI capabilities
• Expected future use cases of generative AI in telcos

Related research

• Organisational foundations for responsible AI
• DTW24: Generative AI brings both hype and hope
• Finding value from AI, analytics and automation (A3) in the telco network
• Gen AI: Why and how telcos should skill up for success?

For the summary deck, click on ‘Download’ under ‘Download the full report’

For the full Excel database, download ‘Additional files’

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

Kerina Naran

Kerina Naran

Research Analyst

Kerina is a research analyst at STL Partners and is now applying her advanced research and analytical skills from an extensive background in biomedical sciences to the dynamic telecoms and technology market. Kerina joined STL Partners after obtaining a PhD in Virology and Immunology from Imperial College London.