Investments in transformative technologies are continuing to grow among enterprises, with analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) leading the way across all sectors. Sixty-six per cent of enterprise respondents are either currently investing in agentic AI (34 per cent) or planning to invest during the coming year (32 per cent), and several profound shifts are reshaping the way enterprise executives view, acquire and deploy these capabilities, according to the latest EY Reimagining Industry Future study 2026.

The study also shows that levels of investment in 5G have risen year-on-year, while sovereign cloud is another technology now appearing on the enterprise investment radar. This appetite for transformational technologies is being shaped by a new wave of external forces, with policies and laws governing data ranking ahead of competitor actions as factors influencing investment decisions. Over three-quarters (77 per cent) of survey respondents are reassessing their supplier relationships due to the changing geopolitical environment, with long-term investment roadmaps subject to similar scrutiny.

Industrial policy environment drives enterprise investment

Eighty-nine per per centcent of survey respondents rank the technology policy environment – including new digital sovereignty imperatives – as a key factor when investing in new technologies, while 81% also cite trade wars and tariff disputes.

Rob Atkinson, EY UK&I Technology, Media & Entertainment and Telecommunications Market Leader, commented: “Several considerations feed into businesses’ technology investment plans and decisions, including new policies and laws governing data – such as evolving cybersecurity requirements and emerging national digital sovereignty. Fundamentally, providers can no longer rely on legacy offerings: they need to adapt their service portfolios and partner eco-systems at speed to stay abreast of fast-changing customer requirements.”

The shift to sovereign cloud

The report also shows that enterprise demand for sovereign cloud is on the rise, fueled by geopolitical upheavals and policymakers’ increased focus on data protection and technology self-reliance. Businesses are responding to these shifts, with 17 per cent of survey respondents saying that they are currently investing in sovereign cloud solutions and over half (53 per cent) plan to invest, with the most important drivers for adoption being cybersecurity and data control (61 per cent), customer confidence and trust (40 per cent) and compliance with national policies and regulation (39 per cent).

Adrian Baschnonga, EY Global Technology, Media & Entertainment and Telecommunications (TMT) Lead Analyst, stated: “The move to sovereign cloud is forcing businesses to reappraise their supplier relationships. Service providers should carefully consider their go-to-market strategies in sovereign cloud, making sure that they meet their customers’ changing business objectives, while also exploring new ways to differentiate their offerings.”

Security and AI capabilities are in focus as firms reappraise vendors

As supplier landscapes widen and businesses contend with a new wave of external pressures informing technology investment decisions, the competencies they value in vendors are shifting. Security now ranks first as a supplier attribute, reflecting the rising importance of customer data protection and regulatory compliance. AI embedded in vendor service delivery ranks second, underlining growing demand for informed and frictionless interactions with technology suppliers. Financial services, automotive and manufacturing sectors rate this capability as the most important factor in vendor selection.

Enterprise respondents tend to rate IT providers and cloud vendors ahead of telcos for expertise in delivering business outcomes. As telco operators look to close this close this gap, they can take encouragement from the fact that many business-to-business (B2B) customers see them as more than just connectivity providers. One-third of respondents (33 per cent) primarily view them as infrastructure guardians, led by healthcare (39 per cent) and government organisations (33 per cent).

Atkinson added: “The outlook is positive for telcos that can enhance their role as security specialists – given B2B customers’ growing focus on vendor security credentials, and the emergence of new security related services, such as sovereign cloud and fraud management APIs.”

Telcos are well-placed to meet business’ changing technology requirements

When choosing information and communications technology (ICT) providers, enterprises are looking for suppliers that truly grasp their strategic needs. Forty-three per cent of survey respondents cite the need for better understanding of their business and technology priorities as the improvement they would most like to see. However, more than half (59 per cent) of respondents say that vendors do not demonstrate how they have used technologies internally to aid their own transformation, while the same proportion (59 per cent) say that vendors do not provide enough case studies of how they have delivered value to other businesses.

Enterprises also demand better customer service and support experiences. Fifty-three percent of respondents are looking for higher quality after sale experiences; 51 per cent want better access to service providers’ additional partners; and 43 per cent want more agile interactions with vendor sales representatives. Delivering improvements is now seen as business critical, with 43% of survey respondents saying that they plan to consolidate vendors in the next 12 months – up from 35 per cent compared with last year.

Baschnonga said: “There is a real business demand for vendors that act as strategic collaborators, not just technology providers. Organizations are also keen to reduce complexity and are demanding more agile sales interactions and simpler product options. Service providers that can act as consultative partners, while also delivering smoother customer experiences, will gain positive traction in a crowded market.”

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Categories: AI, Articles, Broadband, Equipment, IoT, Research, Telco

Tags: AI, EY, ICT, IOT