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

Conclusion The AI era fundamentally redefines the role of telcos. Beyond delivering advanced connectivity, telcos are increasingly positioned to power intelligent and sovereign systems – and, in some contexts, to assume a central role in orchestrating the national AI value chain. This evolution places telcos at the heart of building resilience, sovereignty and security across economies and critical sectors. The extent to which telcos can pursue and succeed in these roles will be shaped by the policy environment and the ambition of local governments’ sovereign agendas. In certain geographies, regulatory constraints and market dynamics may force telcos to focus on a modern, AI-enabled core connectivity play. In others, telcos may be well-positioned to emerge as national sovereign champions, co-owning and executing a country’s agenda to strengthen digital resilience and strategic autonomy. Over the next decade, telcos that deliberately align their core operations, growth initiatives and sovereignty ambitions within their specific national and market contexts will see increases in value creation. Those able to integrate these plays coherently will be best positioned to capture the opportunities outlined across the pathways described in this paper. The Strategic Role of Telecom Providers across the AI Value Chain 23