AI services offer telcos fresh revenue opportunities – GSMA

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) has highlighted the potential for telecommunications operators to tap into new revenue streams by providing services that help manage, access, and optimise artificial intelligence (AI) services. As AI-powered applications, agents, and automated workflows become more widespread, operators are moving beyond traditional connectivity offerings to monetise AI consumption.

The GSMA's analysis, published by GSMA Intelligence, identifies three primary areas where operators are expanding their AI businesses: infrastructure, models, and solutions. Infrastructure involves deploying data centres, cloud services, fibre networks, and edge infrastructure to support AI factories, sovereign AI platforms, and graphics processing unit-as-a-service offerings.

The model level focuses on developing or partnering with other technology companies to build foundation models tailored to local languages and market requirements. The solutions segment is the most actively participating, with over 200 telecom operators globally offering enterprise copilots, conversational AI, productivity tools, and industry-specific applications.

Asia-Pacific leads in operator participation at both infrastructure and model levels, with China emerging as an early test market for the commercialisation of AI consumption. China's three major telecom operators are experimenting with various commercial models to capture the growing demand, including bundling AI model access with connectivity and cybersecurity services, combining AI tokens with cloud PCs and AI agent capabilities, and exploring credit-based models.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.