Report: Telcos missing opportunity to improve networks using AI
March 9, 2026
Telcos must look beyond their own organisations to maximise the benefits of AI, the WBBA has advised in a report launched at BDC Barcelona 2026.
Surveying over 340 telecoms professionals, the State of AI in Telecoms report has found that while AI adoption is accelerating, most operators continue to focus on internal efficiency and cost savings rather than commercial AI services, with 42 per cent of operators using the technology most extensively for customer service and support, and in cybersecurity efforts. However, network enhancements carry the biggest potential for AI, and 41 per cent of respondents advised this will soon become the area with the most AI usage in the next two years.
“Across the globe, the rise of AI has been unstoppable and already has a broad range of application areas and growth prospects for the telecoms sector,” said WBBA Director General Martin Creaner. “Strong adopters are benefitting from clearer Return on Investments (ROIs), but despite network-focused AI becoming increasingly essential, adoption often lags because networks are complex, multi-vendor, and data-fragmented. Through this report, we hope to inform the industry on the state and evolution of AI and telecoms to overcome these bottlenecks.”
With business either starting cloud-native or migrating over to cloud-based platforms at the same time as the demand for AI services has increased rapidly, the shape and speed of network growth has changed too. Most data‑centre networks were never built for the scale, performance or resiliency that AI workloads demand, with many now aged, fragmented and fundamentally out of step with the capabilities required for the new era. This can quickly leave operators with infrastructure that simply can’t keep up.
However, this provides a major opportunity for communications service providers to refresh their networks and to reposition for optimal AI usage. To this end, the WBBA has also published the Optical Network Architecture and Technologies in the AI Era whitepaper to provide guidance on new case studies and capabilities these providers could look to in order to enhance their offerings.
Additionally, the WBBA has introduced the IP Network Development Index (IP NDI) for the first time at BDC Barcelona. Detailed in the Net5.5G Readiness Assessment and Certification whitepaper, the index will help operators and stakeholders assess their regional networks against the Net5.5G framework and monitor global transport network upgrades by providing benchmarks across four crucial network areas: wide area, campus, data centers and autonomous.
Through this framework, the global telecoms industry will be poised to advance towards Net5.5G/6G networks while supporting the rapid growth of AI-driven applications and digital transformation.
Another case study presented at the BDC event – AI and Agnetic AI Ready Networks – was delivered by Orange Vice President – Wirelines Networks and Infrastructures, Domanique Lacroix-Penther, covering the ways Agentic AI is affecting broadband development.
“Orange is turning its networks into an AI-ready platform, leveraging high bandwidth, intelligent, agile, efficient, trusted and reliable transport and access networks,” said Lacroix-Penther.
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