Photonics for telcos: Follow the light
The term ‘photonics’ is becoming more common than ‘optical’. But what does it mean for telcos? Does it suggest new opportunities?
Tag Archives: Innovation
Orange Live Intelligence: Scaling adoption and commercialisation of AI
Orange has been one of the most ambitious and innovative telcos in scaled internal adoption of generative AI and development of enterprise solutions. How did it build an AI platform with more than 100,000 users and 100 enterprise customers in three years?
MWC Shanghai 2026: Tokens, robots and reach for the sky
At a show led by China’s telecom players, tokenisation, embodied AI and satellite connectivity sat at the centre of the agenda, each revealing how China’s AI and connectivity market is taking its own distinctive shape.
From AI vision to trusted execution: Key takeaways from DTW Ignite 2026
The industry has accepted the destination that is AI-driven autonomous networks. The challenge now is to build systems that operators can trust to make decisions across real networks. And to make every step create actual business benefits.
Network API pilots to profit: A commercial playbook for Quality on Demand
As the bottleneck shifts from commitment to commercial execution, telcos need an API-specific playbook not a one-size-fits-all approach. Drawing on extensive demand-side research, this series of reports delivers actionable guidance on pricing logic, charging models and GTM channel strategies for emerging APIs. This report focuses on Quality on Demand (QoD).
Future Skills Tracker 2026
Insights from our Future skills tracker tool show that telcos remain behind technology companies (techcos) in the penetration of the key role types that would enable them to compete and add value like technology companies. The tracker provides direction on where telcos should learn from techcos and build capabilities to increase operational efficiency and enable new revenue streams going forward.
Agentic AI in telecoms: What is live now and coming next?
Agentic AI is beginning to penetrate telco operations, but only in domains such as billing and field maintenance, which do not require real-time data or network operations. What will it take to enable secure and reliable use of agentic AI in more critical network operations?
How telcos can deliver for defence
As telcos deploy more resilient and programmable networks, they could become key suppliers to armed forces. Dual-purpose tech solutions by telcos are valuable also to the population and civilian critical services during extreme weather events or energy blackouts, as much as during military conflict.
Network API pilots to profit: A commercial playbook for Location Retrieval
As the bottleneck shifts from commitment to commercial execution, telcos need an API-specific playbook – not a one-size-fits-all approach. Drawing on extensive demand-side research, this series of reports delivers actionable guidance on pricing logic, charging models and GTM channel strategies for emerging APIs. This report focuses on Location Retrieval.
Network API pilots to profit: A commercial playbook for KYC Match
As the bottleneck shifts from commitment to commercial execution, telcos need an API-specific playbook – not a one-size-fits-all approach. Drawing on extensive demand-side research, this series of reports delivers actionable guidance on pricing logic, charging models and GTM channel strategies for emerging APIs. This report focuses on KYC Match.
MWC 2026: AI but with more realism than hype
AI was again at the centre of MWC. But now telcos are focused on what they can practically achieve with AI rather than on boosting investor perception. Satellites, 5G standalone, sovereignty, security and quantum are other themes we noted in Barcelona.
Navigating sovereign AI: Telco strategies, trade-offs and pathways
As AI and national sovereignty increasingly intersect, telecoms operators face both opportunity and risk. This report sets out a practical framework to help telcos determine whether, where and how to play in sovereign AI.
Revisiting the connected home
With recent advances in AI, smart homes may actually become smart, generating considerable value for homeowners, telcos and a broader ecosystem of device and solution providers.
Securing the smart home: Lessons from leading telcos
As connected devices proliferate in the home, telcos are exploring how to leverage their ownership of the gateway, customer trust and network visibility to play a meaningful role in consumer smart home cybersecurity.
MWC Doha 2025 had AI at its heart
Regional AI ambition was at the heart of the Middle East’s inaugural MWC event, backed up by a new LLM and many large investments. But the region is still early in its journey, and must focus on laying fundamental groundwork if it is to see the successful adoption of AI.
Perspectives 2026: 26 industry predictions for the year ahead
STL Partners’ 26 predictions for 2026, focusing on change and growth in the telco industry
Lessons from China’s low-altitude economy
China has seen rapid growth in its low-altitude economy. Its experience offers important lessons and fresh insights on how telcos can better position themselves to enable and accelerate the future of this emerging sector.