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

Pathway enabler dimensions: foundational and pathway-specific FIGURE 2 Note: Pathways are cumulative; each pathway builds on the enablers of the previous one.Infrastructure Product and go-to-market Operating model and talent Ecosystem and partnerships AI strategy and value realization Data and AI foundation Trust, security and compliancePathway 1: Modern telco Unified AI-coded IT architecture supporting autonomous operations Interoperable, API-driven RAN/core, secure edge, and transport fabric (DCI, AI- optimized colocation) Advanced automation of network and data centre operations with cloud-native, GPU-ready architectures and automated provisioning Sovereign, automated AI infrastructure including regional data centres, GPU clusters and in-country deployment modelsPathway 2: AI techoPathway 3: National sovereign champion AI-powered sales, customer care and product support Assured connectivity productized into tiered stock keeping units (SKUs) with use- and SLA-based pricing Product factory to design, demo and run AI solutions with repeatable product lifecycles to scale AI-powered managed services delivered end-to-end with SLAs (NaaS, vertical/ horizontal AI, GPUaaS) Mission-critical sovereign AI use cases for defence, energy, public safety and emergency response Sovereign IaaS, sovereign AI platform, sector-specific LLM/ SLM services Autonomous, AI-first operating model across network, customer and corporate functions, enabled by reskilled teams operating and supervising agentic AI Programmable network capabilities exposed via APIs and enterprise bundles AI-enabled operating model delivering SLA-grade services, predictive operations and self- service-first journeys Talent reskilling to support verticalized solutions, technical advisory and high-value managed services National-grade operating model to run a complete sovereign AI stack with transparent controls, audit mechanisms and regulated assurance Partner with hyperscalers, device/AI ecosystems and industry players to scale immersive and mission-critical connectivity Co-innovation with hyperscalers, AI model providers, integrators, software partners; MODaaS consumption model to telco Collaboration with AI companies, cloud and hardware providers, governments Participation in sovereign AI programmes, including AI gigafactories, national AI centers of excellence, and population and workforce reskilling initiatives Disciplined AI portfolio governance with prioritization and funding based on ROI and strategic fit, supported by organizational reskilling to operationalize agentic AI, with clear value metrics and benefits tracking Shared data and AI layer with governed data products, standardized models/tooling, reusable platforms and agentic automation Responsible AI, security, identity, compliance and model risk management embedded by designPathway specific FoundationalEnablers The Strategic Role of Telecom Providers across the AI Value Chain 21