The Strategic Role of Telecom Providers Across the AI Value Chain 2026

Images: Getty Images Disclaimer This document is published by the World Economic Forum as a contribution to a project, insight area or interaction. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result of a collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the World Economic Forum but whose results do not necessarily represent the views of the World Economic Forum, nor the entirety of its Members, Partners or other stakeholders. © 2026 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.Contents Foreword 3 Executive summary 4 1 Industry narrative and the AI opportunity 5 2 Three strategic pathways for CSPs 7 2.1 Overview of the three strategic pathways 7 2.2 Strategic plays for the modern telco to protect 9 the core connectivity business 2.3 Strategic plays for the AI techco to grow through 12 AI-powered managed services 2.4 Strategic plays for the national sovereign 15 champion to activate resilience 3 Pathway enablers 19 4 Prioritization: assessing value and feasibility 21 5 Conclusion 22 Appendix 23 A1 Value and feasibility assumptions 23 Contributors 26 Endnotes 28 The Strategic Role of Telecom Providers across the AI Value Chain 2