By Mirza Bukva
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is disrupting the status quo in telecommunications. As major global innovators push the boundaries of AI development, telecom companies have an opportunity to leverage these capabilities and deliver groundbreaking services that redefine the Customer Experience (CX) and transform their entire business models.
A world of opportunity – AI’s impact on telecoms
The rapid evolution of AI is ushering in a new era of opportunity for telecommunications. Advancements from leading global innovators and emerging platforms are transforming how telecoms engage with their customers and manage operations. Beyond conversational AI, the industry is now entering the age of ‘Agentic AI’, intelligent systems capable of reasoning, making autonomous decisions, and taking action based on context.
This shift marks what many are calling “The Agentic AI Revolution”, a transformation from simple, rule-based chatbots to sophisticated, autonomous orchestration. Unlike traditional AI, which responds to individual queries, agentic AI is designed to orchestrate entire customer journeys. These next-generation agents are context-aware, autonomous, and capable of managing complex tasks across multiple channels. They leverage “agentic memory” and conversational Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) to deliver hyper-personalised, seamless experiences that evolve with each interaction.
The future of CX in telecoms will be built on multi-agent architectures, ecosystems where specialised AI agents collaborate and interact with one another under the coordination of a central orchestrator. This represents a fundamental shift: instead of retrofitting AI into legacy systems, telecoms are creating purpose-built, real-time infrastructures that enable outcome-driven conversations at scale, empowering both customers and human agents alike.
For telecoms, this means moving beyond simple chatbots to AI-driven agents that can independently handle customer queries, execute transactions, manage service requests, and even optimise network operations in real time. By adopting Agentic AI, telecoms can unlock new levels of efficiency, personalise customer interactions at scale, and create seamless, proactive communication journeys that anticipate user needs rather than simply reacting to them.
The benefits of AI in telecoms – better, faster, smarter service
AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants offer round-the-clock customer support, significantly reducing wait times and enhancing customer satisfaction. These intelligent agents can efficiently handle routine enquiries, troubleshoot common issues, and even assist with more complex tasks, allowing human agents to concentrate on intricate problems that require their expertise. Moreover, these virtual assistants can proactively anticipate customer needs, providing assistance before problems arise, enhancing overall customer experience.
The impact of AI in the telecommunications industry is already evident, with 72% of telecom companies having adopted AI for customer communication. Customers have experienced significant improvements in customer experience when engaging with telecom companies that have implemented simple rule-based and generative AI. However, there is still room for progress in operational efficiency and productivity through greater use of conversational AI – currently, only 17% of telecoms employ it. As a result, over 70% of customer support inquiries still rely heavily on human agents. The implementation of AI-powered communication is often poorly optimized or unable to effectively handle complex issues, leading to most queries being escalated to human agents. These factors have encouraged 55% of telecom companies to plan the introduction of new AI-powered services in 2025 and beyond, signalling a clear shift towards innovation, diversification, and the pursuit of new revenue streams.
AI also helps telecoms to be more inclusive, enabling the provision of multilingual support, breaking down language barriers and reaching a broader customer base. AI-powered language models can translate text and speech in real time, allowing customers to communicate with service agents in their preferred language. This strengthens connections with diverse customer segments.
At an individual level, AI’s ability to analyse vast amounts of customer data enables telecom operators to deliver hyper-personalised experiences to users. By understanding individual preferences, behaviours, and purchase histories, service providers can tailor offers, recommendations, and notifications to meet specific needs. This level of personalisation fosters stronger customer relationships and increases loyalty.
From an internal sales perspective, AI has the potential to significantly streamline processes by automating various aspects of the sales process, from lead generation and qualification to upselling and cross-selling. AI-powered tools analyse customer data to identify potential sales opportunities and provide personalised recommendations, leading to increased sales efficiency and revenue generation.
Streamlining operations – working smarter and safer
Telecoms are already implementing AI solutions to drive innovation and improve their operations. For example, some companies are using AI to optimise their connectivity networks, as AI’s ability to analyse network data empowers telecoms to identify bottlenecks, optimise traffic flow, and enhance overall network performance. This leads to faster speeds, reduced latency, and improved customer satisfaction. For instance, AI can predict peak usage times and proactively allocate resources to ensure optimal network performance during periods of high demand.
AI enables enhanced customer segmentation, by empowering telecoms to analyse customer data and identify distinct segments with specific needs and preferences. This enables the providers to truly tailor their marketing and service offerings to each segment, improving customer satisfaction and retention. For example, AI can identify high-value customers and provide them with exclusive benefits and personalised support.
Importantly, AI also has the ability to protect telecoms from fraud. AI algorithms can play a central role by analysing vast amounts of customer behaviour data to detect patterns and anomalies indicative of fraudulent activity, such as unauthorised access, SIM swapping, and billing fraud. By leveraging AI, telecoms can detect and mitigate fraud in real time, safeguarding their revenue and protecting customers from financial loss.
Addressing the elephant in the room – challenges with AI adoption
While the potential benefits of AI in telecoms are substantial, there are challenges to be addressed. Ensuring data privacy and security is critical, given the highly sensitive nature of customer information. Ethical considerations are also vital as AI becomes more prevalent. Issues such as bias, fairness, and transparency must be carefully addressed to ensure that AI algorithms are developed and used ethically. Additionally, training AI models to understand complex queries and provide accurate responses requires substantial data and computational resources.
To fully realise the potential of AI, telecoms may need to collaborate with technology providers, research institutions, and other industry players. These partnerships can accelerate AI adoption and development, fostering innovation and knowledge sharing. This is particularly important, as AI models require continuous training and updates to keep pace with evolving customer needs and industry trends. As such, telecoms should invest in ongoing AI research and development to ensure their solutions remain relevant and effective.
Moving beyond the GenAI “Honeymoon Phase”
Many businesses today are in the early, experimental stage with Generative AI (GenAI), a period often referred to as the “honeymoon phase.” This stage is marked by excitement and exploration but often lacks a clear strategy for achieving tangible Returns on Investment (ROI). For telecoms, the challenge lies in transitioning from proof-of-concept projects to mature, ROI-driven deployment models.
This requires moving beyond simply demonstrating GenAI capabilities to integrating them into core business processes that solve real problems and deliver measurable value. C-level executives must prioritise developing a solid business case, defining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and building the necessary data infrastructure to support large-scale, effective GenAI applications. By doing so, telecoms can ensure that AI adoption moves from experimentation to meaningful transformation.
Riding the wave of opportunity
AI is transforming the telecommunications sector, offering numerous opportunities to improve customer experiences, streamline operations, and drive growth. By leveraging AI technologies and partnering with tech integrators, telecoms can stay ahead of the competition, find ways to deliver exceptional service, and create long-lasting relationships with their customers. As AI continues to advance, we can expect to see even more innovative applications in the telecom industry.
Mirza Bukva, Head of Telecom Partnerships Africa at Infobip