Companies are increasingly signalling a change in their expectations of telecoms operators – connectivity alone is no longer enough. Instead of infrastructure providers, businesses are looking for partners who realistically support growth, transformation and the implementation of new technologies. As the report ‘The B2B Pulse for Telcos: Six Strategic Imperatives to Win in Connectivity and Beyond (2026 edition)” Capgemini Research Institute, there is a growing gap between what organisations expect and what they actually receive – as many as 74% of companies expect operators to be accountable for business outcomes, while only 39% see them having a real impact on revenue growth.
Customers want more than operators offer today
The change in expectations of telecoms operators is not temporary – it is the result of the accelerating digital transformation of companies, which are increasingly basing their business on data, automation and artificial intelligence-based solutions. In this context, connectivity itself ceases to be a differentiator and becomes merely a starting point for building value.
Companies increasingly expect operators to act as a partner that not only understands their industry, but can co-create solutions to specific business challenges. Meanwhile, only 41% of organisations believe that their operator brings value beyond basic services, and only 37% say they receive solutions tailored to their needs. At the same time, as many as 65% of companies are willing to pay more for offerings that are better suited to their specific needs.
– It is becoming increasingly clear that connectivity is no longer an end in itself for companies – it is becoming part of a greater whole. The key is how it translates into specific processes, efficiency and business development. It is in this area that operators today have the greatest space to redefine their role, comments Rafał Kurman, Lead Connectivity & Network Engineer, ERD at Capgemini Polska.
Ecosystems are becoming the new standard for cooperation
The increasing complexity of technology environments means that a single provider is increasingly unable to address all of an organisation’s needs. As a result, companies expect operators not only to provide services, but also to be able to integrate solutions from different partners into coherent, end-to-end environments.
Already 65% of organisations indicate that operators should play the role of an ecosystem integrator – combining the competences of IT providers, software providers, systems integrators or hyperscalers. At the same time, only 35% of companies see operators actually performing this role. The lack of such coordination means more complexity for the business, longer deployment times and difficulties in scaling solutions.
This shift towards collaborative models demonstrates that competitive advantage will no longer come from infrastructure alone, but from the ability to combine technologies, partnerships and competencies in a way that realistically supports customer growth.
AI and smart grids are changing the focus
In parallel, the importance of advanced technologies is growing, moving from being an element of experimentation to becoming the foundation of companies’ investment decisions. In the next two years, as many as 84% of organisations plan to invest in AI and machine learning solutions, and 76% in AI and GenAI platforms.
Alongside this trend, there are growing expectations of operators as infrastructure providers capable of supporting new operating models. Companies are increasingly looking for intelligent, flexible networks that enable real-time data processing and integration with cloud solutions and edge computing. More than half of organisations are already using or planning to deploy advanced network services such as SD-WAN, private 5G or network as a service.
At the same time, up to 72% of companies believe that operators are lagging behind hyperscalers and technology companies in the area of AI and cloud. This shows that despite the growing importance of these technologies, operators are still not seen as their natural leaders.
Trust and customer experience are decisive in choosing
In a world of increasing geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty, issues of trust, security and data sovereignty are becoming increasingly important. As many as 86% of organisations indicate that the country of origin of the provider matters when choosing an operator, and 67% see sovereignty issues as a key argument for working with operators rather than hyperscalers.
At the same time, expectations of customer experience are rising. Although 64% of companies consider it crucial and more than half are willing to pay more for better service, as many as 65% of organisations consider the purchasing process too complex – especially in the areas of billing and offer transparency.
– Operators today have a unique opportunity to become first-choice partners in the area of digital transformation. The prerequisite is to combine technological competence and the ability to use AI and data with a way of serving the customer that is as simple, transparent and easy to collaborate with as possible, while at the same time building trust and ensuring digital sovereignty,” concludes Rafał Kurman, Lead Connectivity & Network Engineer, ERD at Capgemini Polska.
Source: Capgemini
