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.
Modern telecom networks drive competitiveness, but organisational factors can thwart progress. We identify five startup practices telcos should adopt to enable true techco transformation.
DTW Ignite 2025 showed a telco industry that is truly embracing AI and trying to use it as a platform for accelerated transformation. We hope it succeeds.
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.
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.
AI will create large potential opportunities for telcos in connectivity and use case enablement. But telcos must manage expectations and prioritise their investments carefully.
Enterprises want on-demand, highly performant connectivity services – and service providers are embracing NaaS delivery and commercial models to meet these expectations. This report provides a case study of disruption in the Indian market by NaaS provider Lightstorm.
Discussions from STL’s recent CSP-exclusive roundtable resulted in a series of telco- and industry-level recommendations for measuring and rewarding sustainability benefits throughout the network’s lifecycle.
To avoid becoming pure utilities, telcos must evolve their core businesses into more efficient and flexible infracos. But if they also want to accelerate growth and capture the full value of their network investments, they should strive towards building services businesses and becoming telecom techcos. We explore different pathways leading operators are taking to get there.
Telcos need new skills to change their organisations to compete like technology companies. Insights from our Future skills tracker tool show that telcos are behind techcos in the penetration of key skillsets and provides direction on the capabilities required to become more innovative, agile and software-driven overall.
Operators are transforming their networks to provide advanced services and tackle network complexity. However, progress is uneven as operators develop various capabilities at different stages. We outline four common pathways and provide recommendations for operator peer groups.
Co-operation with hyperscalers can reap rewards – but only if telcos complete the hard work of cloudification first.
Regulation of data-driven business can help telecoms differentiate from Internet players, but also comes when telco products and processes increasingly use and monetise data. How should telecoms companies adapt? A must-read for those engaged in data-driven businesses.
More telcos are making deals to run their VNFs on the public cloud. Not much is live yet. But cloud hosting of network functions will support telcos in realising the benefits of cloud-native, and we believe telcos can safely go further and faster.
Based on discussions with 40 service providers (SPs) this report explores the challenges, priorities, strategies and best practices they identified around reducing carbon emissions.
STL Partners believes that telco cloud is a crucial enabler for operators’ success in the Coordination Age. In this manifesto we explain why.