STL Partners releases reports on AI and global broadband

"The key finding was that using AI for operations is the biggest return on investment (ROI) winner for telcos. Twenty-two percent cited cost savings of greater than 10% in this area. Customer experience followed, with 20% citing cost savings greater than 10%."

"“At the surface level, this suggests that AI adoption in operations delivers much stronger ROI for telcos,” research director Amy Ameron said in a post about the report. “However, measuring the financial impact of AI in CX/BSS is notoriously difficult, and often materialises as improved customer retention rather than lower absolute costs. It is therefore possible that the ROI in CX/BSS is also under-represented in this sample.”"

"There still is a lot to learn about the cost impact of AI; the report says that 25% to 30% responded “I don't know” in each domain. This lack of certainty, the post said, may mean that ROI cannot yet be measured. This could pose a risk for long-term investment."

"Infrastructure, platforms, applications and other enterprise solutions dominate telco initiatives, because there is a “clear short-term” expectation of monetization in those areas. While the STL Partners reports represent AI efforts by telecommunications companies around the globe, Telecompetitor recently completed its 2026 Rural Broadband State of AI Study,"

A global survey of telecom operations found that AI use for operations provides the biggest return on investment. Twenty-two percent reported cost savings greater than 10% from AI in operations, and 20% reported similar savings in customer experience. Financial impact in customer experience and business support is difficult to measure and may show up as improved retention rather than lower costs. In both domains, 25% to 30% of respondents selected “I don't know,” indicating uncertainty about AI cost impact and potential difficulty measuring ROI. A second report on AI revenue generation identifies infrastructure, platforms, applications, and enterprise solutions as dominant initiatives due to expectations of short-term monetization.

Read at Telecompetitor