Connectivity will no longer be something you buy or even use. It will be something that breathes.

You’ll step into a park, and the environment will already understand your context, not your identity, but your intent. A bench warms as you approach, anticipating your arrival through a quiet exchange between your health systems and the city’s network. The air subtly adjusts around you, shaped in real time by a mesh of sensors, satellites, and edge intelligence working in concert.

No device is opened. No service is invoked. The network does not respond, it anticipates.

Your AI companion, a persistent presence shaped across your wearables, your car, and your home, will have quietly secured a slice of the city’s 6G fabric to run a real-time language model that helps a tourist nearby ask you for directions. No device was unlocked. No plan was checked. The network simply facilitated the moment, then dissolved the connection like a thought.

When you need to work, your reality will gently fracture. A private, quantum-encrypted workspace will materialize around you in AR, hosted on a sovereign cloud in another country, delivered via a seamless chain of satellite, local fiber, and personal body area network, all orchestrated by an AI that you trust more than your own memory.

The old metrics like bandwidth, latency, subscriptions will sound like ancient concerns: like discussing the “horsepower” of electricity. The new metrics will be fidelity, trust, and flow. How faithfully can the network represent the physical world in digital space? How implicitly can it be trusted with your context? How effortlessly can it enable moments of human connection, discovery, and care?

In this world, the most valuable operators won’t sell connectivity. They will sell certainty; the mathematical guarantee that the right connection will exist at the precise moment it needs to, anywhere on Earth or above it. They will be silent architects of ambient possibility, the engineers of serendipity.

The infrastructure won’t be in the ground or the sky. It will be in the context, and the winner will be the one who designs the protocol for how the world introduces itself to you.

The Core Thesis: What must be true for this world to exist?

The next period will witness the Great Unbundling of telecommunications. The legacy, vertically integrated model (own the network, sell the service, bill the customer) will be dismantled. Value will migrate upwards to experience platforms and downwards to cloud-native infrastructure, leaving traditional operators squeezed in the middle.

This isn’t just evolution; it’s a rearchitecting of the industry’s very foundations. The winners won’t be those with the most towers, but those who control the most valuable layers of intelligence and access in the new stack.

The New Telecom Stack: The architecture underlying the Sentient City

The Great Unbundling

The telecom industry is not evolving – it is unbundling.

For decades, operators thrived on vertical integration: owning infrastructure, controlling the network, and managing the customer relationship. That model is now breaking apart. The stack is fragmented into distinct layers, each with different economics, and each being captured by different players.

• At the top, experience is owned by platforms that control user context.
• At the bottom, infrastructure is becoming a capital-efficient utility.
• In the middle, traditional operators are being squeezed.

This is not just a shift in value; it is a shift in control.

Customer ownership moves up. Capital efficiency moves down. And in between, intelligence becomes the new battleground. The implication is clear: you can no longer compete across the entire stack.

You have to choose where you play – and rebuild for it.

The Four Battlegrounds

Battleground 1: The Operating System War

• The Future: AI as the network OS, enabling zero-touch, self-optimizing infrastructure.
• The Bottleneck: Legacy OSS/BSS systems aren’t just old; they are active inhibitors. They cannot represent network state in real-time, which is the fundamental prerequisite for an AI OS.
• The Strategic Move: The first operator to successfully abstract its network capabilities into a real-time digital twin will create an unbeatable advantage.

This is not an IT project; it is the core strategic project.

Battleground 2: The Perimeter War

• The Future: Seamless Fixed-Mobile-Satellite convergence.
• The Bottleneck: This isn’t just a technical integration challenge. It is a geopolitical and regulatory nightmare. National borders, spectrum sovereignty, and security laws conflict directly with the physics of LEO satellites and cloud-based cores.
• The Strategic Move: Success belongs to those who navigate regulation as a core competency. Partnerships like “Starlink + Local Telco” are not commercial deals first; they are regulatory Trojan horses.

Battleground 3: The Interface War

• The Future: Handsetless, ambient communication.
• The Bottleneck: We are waiting for the “iPhone moment” for AR glasses. It won’t be better batteries alone; it will be unignorable, must have application (likely in social, healthcare, or enterprise productivity) that demands the new form factor.
• The Strategic Move: Stop betting on devices. Start betting on context aware applications that leverage your network’s unique capabilities (ultra-low latency, precise location). The device follows the app.

Battleground 4: The Business Model War

• The Future: Dynamic, personalized service bundles.
• The Bottleneck: Legacy billing systems aren’t just rigid; they are philosophically opposed to the future. They cannot conceptualize, let alone price, a “session” that moves from satellite to 5G to Wi-Fi with guaranteed latency for a cloud AI agent.
• The Strategic Move: The business model must be built on new transactional systems from day one. This is why cloud native operators (Jio, Rakuten) have a decade long lead. For incumbents, this requires a greenfield “reinventing” for billing, isolated from the legacy tumor.

The Three Prime Examples & Their Likely Fates

The Strategic Inflection Point: Now

The decisions made in the next 24-36 months will determine which archetype each player becomes for the next decade.

For the Traditional Telco Leader, the mandate is stark:

Author

Vasko Najkov

Principal Consultant

The post Why telecom’s future isn’t about connectivity? appeared first on Salience Consulting.

At Salience, we’ve spent the last three years turning orbital ambition into grounded reality. Our track record now includes:
– LEO Satellite Ventures: Delivered demand and commercial studies for major LEO projects across the MEA region.
– National Strategy: Developed the business case for a new Middle Eastern satellite venture.
– Infrastructure Rollout: Supported the deployment of Satellite Ground Stations in the Middle East.
– Market Intelligence: Performed deep-dive LEO demand studies for the African continent.

What’s next?

We are currently securing advisory projects for National Space Programs and the development of new
launch pads in developing countries, including transaction advisory for commercial spaceports.

As the “Telco to TechCo” evolution hits orbit, we are here to ensure your strategy is bankable and your
infrastructure is ready for take-off.

Watch this space. We are taking off.

The post From Fiber to Orbit: The new layer of digital infrastructure appeared first on Salience Consulting.

For telecommunications providers, security has perpetually been a foundational pillar. However, the industry’s relentless evolution towards all-IP networks and the subsequent “softwarization” of platforms—manifested in virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) and containerized applications—has exponentially elevated its criticality. This transformation extends the threat landscape far beyond the core network, placing unprecedented focus on the most ubiquitous yet vulnerable point: Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). This comprehensive analysis argues that CPE security is no longer a peripheral IT concern but a core strategic, operational, and reputational imperative. We will explore the evolving threat vectors, dissect common vulnerabilities in today’s CPE ecosystem, and outline a proactive framework for operators to transform this challenge into a competitive advantage through enhanced security service offerings.

Introduction: The Expanding Perimeter in a Softwarized World

The telecommunications landscape is undergoing a paradigm shift. The migration to all-IP infrastructures and the adoption of software-defined principles have delivered remarkable agility and cost efficiencies. Yet, this very progress has dissolved the traditional, well-defined network perimeter. Security is no longer solely about fortifying centralized data centers or core network nodes; it is a holistic discipline encompassing secure connectivity, service integrity, the protection of sensitive customer data, and crucially, the integrity of millions of devices residing at the network’s edge.

In this new model, the telecom operator’s responsibility has fundamentally expanded. Providers are now inherently accountable not only for their own infrastructure but also for the security posture of the access layer that bridges their trusted network with the often-uncontrolled environment of the end-user. This shared responsibility model places the CPE at the epicenter of contemporary telecom security challenges.

The CPE: From Passive Termination Point to Critical Security Node

The CPE—typically an Optical Network Terminal (ONT), Home Gateway (HGW), or 4G/5G router—has evolved from a simple service termination point into a sophisticated, internet-facing network node. It is the primary entry point for service delivery and, consequently, the first line of defense (and a prime target for attack). Its unique position, interconnecting the service provider’s managed network with the customer’s local area network (LAN), creates a complex security interdependency that is far more difficult to manage than legacy siloed architectures.

The assumption that CPE is “the provider’s problem” and thus automatically secure is pervasive among end-users. This assumption forms a dangerous threat vector. Attack surfaces are widening, and device-related Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) are rising sharply. The security of these devices is contingent on two non-negotiable factors: having hardware that is actively supported by the vendor and ensuring that it is both properly and securely configured. Failure on either front turns the CPE from a gateway into a liability.

Deconstructing the Weak Links: Common CPE Security Vulnerabilities

A proactive security strategy begins with understanding the adversary’s most likely points of entry. Our consultancy engagements consistently reveal several recurrent and critical vulnerabilities in CPE deployments:

1. The Legacy Liability: Networks often harbor a significant population of old, unmaintained ONT/HGW devices. These devices, running outdated and unsupported firmware, are vulnerable to known exploits. Their persistence is frequently driven by short-term cost avoidance or poorly defined lifecycle management and replacement programs. Each such device is a potential beachhead for attackers to pivot into the provider’s network.
2. The Firmware Update Gap: A troubling trend sees some operators attempting to vertically integrate by acting as software companies—purchasing generic hardware and developing proprietary firmware, often based on open-source components. While aiming for differentiation, this approach frequently leads to a critical security flaw: a painfully slow pace of firmware updates. Without a robust, timely patch management process aligned with the discovery of new vulnerabilities, these “custom” solutions become ticking time bombs, exposing both the operator and its customers to unnecessary risk.
3. The Streaming Box Blind Spot: Set-Top Boxes (STBs), represent a frequently underestimated threat vector. Devices running on old, unmaintained software versions or those that allow unrestricted installation of third-party applications create severe vulnerabilities. High-profile incidents, such as the infection of over 2.5 million devices with the Vo1d malware[1] or the widespread BadBox[2] compromise, underscore the scale of this risk. These were not isolated to obscure brands; they affected mainstream devices, highlighting that any hardware without a commitment to regular, long-term software support is vulnerable.

A Telling Parallel: Lessons from the Smartphone Ecosystem

The challenge of CPE security finds a clear analogue in the consumer smartphone market. Here, the security paradigm is led by two key players: Samsung, with its commitment to monthly security updates and up to six years of support for its models[3], and Apple, with its controlled ecosystem and extended iOS support cycles. This has created a clear market expectation: security updates are a mandatory component of product ownership.

The telecom industry must internalize this lesson. A CPE device is, in essence, a specialized computer on the network. There should be no functional distinction between the expectation of security support for a smartphone and for a home gateway. The question for operators is stark: does your CPE supplier, or your internal software process, provide a support and update commitment that matches this industry-standard expectation?

The Strategic Imperative: Beyond Cost to Reputation and Revenue

The consequences of neglecting CPE security extend far beyond technical breaches. The financial calculus must account for:

• Reputational Damage: A widespread security incident originating from compromised provider-managed CPE can shatter customer trust, built over years, in a matter of days.
• Incident Response Costs: The direct costs of containing a breach, investigating its scope, notifying customers, and providing remediation can be staggering.
• Regulatory and Legal Repercussions: With regulations like GDPR, NIS2, and others imposing strict data protection and security obligations, failures can result in severe financial penalties.

Investing in a robust CPE lifecycle management strategy—ensuring timely replacement of obsolete hardware and guaranteeing rapid, reliable firmware updates—is not merely an operational cost. It is a strategic investment in brand integrity and risk mitigation. The potential costs of an incident invariably dwarf the predictable expenses of proactive maintenance and support.

Transigning Challenge into Opportunity: The Proactive Security Service Layer

Every systemic challenge presents a commercial opportunity. The heightened threat landscape at the network edge allows forward-thinking operators to evolve from mere connectivity providers to trusted security guardians. This involves a two-layered approach:

Layer 1: Network-Centric Threat Intelligence and Mitigation

Even with fully secured CPE, the customer’s LAN may contain vulnerable personal devices (IoT gadgets, outdated laptops, etc.) that become infected. These devices can generate malicious traffic, impacting not only the user but also polluting the provider’s IP subnets. This can lead to the blacklisting of entire IP ranges, affecting innocent customers’ email deliverability and web access. Operators can deploy network-based security analytics to detect anomalous behaviors (e.g., devices participating in botnets, sending spam, or engaging in brute-force attacks). Upon detection, they can proactively:

• Inform the Customer: Send a clear, non-technical alert indicating a problem device on their network.
• Offer Remote Mitigation: Utilize managed firewall rules or DNS filtering services to temporarily isolate the threat.
• Provide Remediation Services: Offer tiered support, from guided self-help to dispatching a technician to the premises to identify and resolve the root cause (e.g., quarantining an infected device, updating an OS, or installing security software).

Layer 2: Differentiated CPE and Security-as-a-Service

Operators can leverage this need to differentiate their service tiers:

• Premium Secure CPE: Offering advanced, regularly updated gateways with integrated, subscription-based security features (anti-malware, intrusion prevention, parental controls).
• Managed Home Security: Bundling CPE management with comprehensive endpoint and network security for a monthly fee, creating a new, sticky revenue stream.

Conclusion: Securing the Edge, Securing the Future

The “softwarization” of telecom networks is irreversible and will continue to accelerate. In this environment, security cannot be an afterthought or a checkbox compliance activity. The CPE has emerged as the critical frontier in this battle. By taking unequivocal ownership of CPE security—through rigorous vendor management, ironclad update policies, and intelligent network monitoring—telecom operators do more than mitigate risk.

They lay the foundation for a new relationship with their customers, built on trust and value-added protection. They transform their network from a passive pipe into an intelligent, defensive asset. In doing so, they future-proof their operations, protect their reputation, and unlock innovative pathways for growth in an increasingly security-conscious market. The time for decisive action is now; the edge must be fortified.

Author

Miroslav Jovanovic

Principal Consultant and Co-head of Technical Practice

The post Fortifying the network edge: Why CPE security is now a strategic imperative for telcos? appeared first on Salience Consulting.

Three pillars define this transformation: AI governance evolving through EU-wide sandboxes primed for data union synergies; seamless cybersecurity-AI fusion; and a business-first ecosystem converting rules into revenue engines. This isn’t bureaucracy—it’s Europe’s launchpad.

Pillar 1: AI Governance—Sandboxes Unlock Cross-Border Scale

Fragmented national experiments end in August 2026. Every EU Member State must roll out AI regulatory sandboxes—safe harbors where SMEs test high-risk systems penalty-free, backed by hands-on guidance.

France centralizes through its national AI agency. Germany spreads oversight across sector regulators. Italy launches regional pilots. The Netherlands repurposes innovation hubs.

Yet the true disruptor arrives in 2028: EU-level sandboxes built for cross-border, data union-centric testing. Imagine Berlin developers training models on Paris health records or Warsaw logistics feeds—all flowing through harmonized Common European Data Spaces.

The AI Office, empowered by Omnibus reforms, takes charge of general-purpose AI in high-risk applications and DSA behemoths. A “stop-the-clock” provision delays full enforcement until August 2028, syncing obligations with ready standards. This propels Europe toward AI sovereignty, not red tape.

Pillar 2: Cybersecurity-AI Fusion—Quantum-Proof and Attack-Resilient

AI’s weak spot? Cyber threats like data poisoning or adversarial manipulation. 2026 counters with NIS2 amendments and Cybersecurity Act updates: high-risk AI systems must bake in resilience, echoing NIS2/DORA demands for ongoing vulnerability scans and monitoring.

January 2026 proposals streamline certifications, bolster ENISA’s supply chain watch, and mandate post-quantum cryptography (PQC) timelines to neutralize quantum risks preemptively. These target 28,700 firms—easing loads for 6,200 micro- and small players—while clarifying cross-border rules.

One ENISA portal should change everything: report once, notify everywhere. Belgium’s penalty harmonization adds bite—from August, model tampering draws immediate action.

The result? AI that fights back, hardening Europe’s digital frontlines and saving mid-caps millions in admin (up to 25% burden reduction).

Pillar 3: Business-Centric Ecosystem—Rules as Growth Catalysts

Compliance chaos fades. The Digital Package rewires the game: Data Union Strategy and European Business Wallets turn data spaces, digital IDs, and trust frameworks into borderless trade accelerators.

A restructured Data Act fuses silos into one seamless data union. GDPR evolves pragmatically – narrower data definitions, high-risk-only breaches (96-hour window), AI-permissive sensitive data use – slicing SME admin by 35%. EU-wide DPIA templates erase national patchwork.

SME panels and the Digital Fitness Check (feedback due March 2026) co-shape adjustments, safeguarding Europe’s €791 billion tech ecosystem. AI literacy programs and Omnibus extensions let mid-caps scale, not just scrape by.

Salience’s 2026 Thrust: Opening Doors, Not Following Paths

As 2026 dawns, Europe’s policy engine revs toward precision, unleashing AI oversight via continental testing arenas (regulatory sandboxes) and enforcement pauses that scale algorithms to massive value. Cyber-AI integration via quantum blueprints and unified gateways yields tough systems and lighter loads, while wallet-driven networks spark transnational speed. For Salience, this spells propulsion.

Salience will lead Q2 dives into national AI testing environments, crafting federated data proofs-of-concept to dominate secure intelligence before EU platforms launch. We’ll drive Digital Fitness Check inputs to hone SME-friendly rules and deploy quantum audits readiness for our clients, positioning as prime advisors on NIS2 upgrades. These efforts go beyond boxes checked—they redefine digital frontiers.

From Eastern Europe’s heart and the geopolitically charged Western Balkans, to our Dubai hub beaming influence to the Middle East, Mediterranean south neighbors, and Africa, Salience funnels this momentum into national overhauls. We guide partner nations – Armenia to the Balkans, Central Asia to an increasing number of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa – in ICT transformations, weaving AI governance and cyber defenses into telecoms and public services for community uplift and economic strength.

This positions Salience as catalyst, not observer: forging EU agility into sovereign digital muscle that advances communities, sharpens national edge, and unlocks prosperity across our reach.

Author

Nadia Simion

Economist Expert

The post Europe’s Digital Regulation in 2026: From Expansion to Agile Consolidation appeared first on Salience Consulting.

Over the past decade, the focus on digital development in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) has been singular: access. The main measure of success was the penetration rate — how many SIM cards were active, how many homes were passed by fiber, and how many citizens could simply get online.

As we settle into 2026, that narrative has experienced a fundamental shift. We are no longer simply building pipelines; we are shaping the nervous system of a new economic landscape.

Recent data confirms this trend. The mobile economy alone contributed over $350 billion to the MENA region’s GDP in 2024, a figure expected to rise significantly by 2030. However, the nature of that value is shifting. We are witnessing the rapid transformation of traditional telecommunications operators into TechCos: technology conglomerates that no longer just sell minutes and megabytes but offer platform-based ecosystems including cloud, FinTech, cybersecurity, and IoT.

At Salience Consulting, we see this not just as a trend but as an essential certainty. Yet, the path forward varies. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are aiming towards a post-connectivity era marked by AI sovereignty and 10Gbps societies, while important African markets address the complicated, capital-heavy middle mile to bridge the ongoing digital divide. We continually evaluate the dual realities of broadband’s role in the region, supported by data from 2024 and 2025, and outline the practical commercial and regulatory frameworks needed to sustain this progress.

The Middle East: The Race for Sovereignty and Speed

In the GCC, the digital divide has nearly vanished. The UAE leads globally with 99.3% Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) penetration, and Saudi Arabia is actively working on its 10Gbps Society initiative as part of Vision 2030. The challenge now is no longer about connecting more people online; it’s about network capacity and data management.

The AI-Driven Data Center Boom

The most notable development in the past two years has been the surge in data centre capacity. We forecast regional capacity to triple from 1GW in 2025 to over 3.3 GW by 2030. This is not just organic growth; it is a strategic move by governments to establish Data Sovereignty.

Nations like Saudi Arabia and the UAE are treating data as a natural resource, much like oil. By localising hyperscale data centres, such as the significant investments from Khazna in the UAE and Project Transcendence in Saudi Arabia, they are ensuring that the economic value of AI processing stays within their borders.

However, this introduces a new engineering challenge. As our CEO Ivan Skenderoski has noted, “we are witnessing a return to data asymmetry.” For years, users downloaded much more than they uploaded. But with Generative AI, a simple text query (upload) can trigger a massive, gigabit-level processing event in a data center, followed by a complex media stream (download). The sheer volume of this traffic requires backhaul infrastructure far more robust than that needed for Netflix or YouTube.

Redefining the TechCo Model

The telecom operators in the region, including e&, stc, Ooredoo, and Zain, are increasingly transforming into investment holding companies for digital assets. The trend of spinning off passive assets, such as towers, to free up capital for active assets, like AI, cloud, and software, is accelerating. We have seen the successful realisation of value in tower assets, which helps operators to reduce debt and invest in the high-margin services layer. With 5G connections in the MENA region expected to reach 50 million by the end of 2025, attention is shifting towards 5G Standalone networks that support network slicing. This technology is essential for enterprise clients requiring guaranteed latency for industrial IoT or autonomous logistics—key elements of the region’s economic diversification strategies.

Africa: The Middle Mile and the Affordability Paradox

While the Middle East is focusing on rapid development, Africa is working to achieve scale. The continent remains the last great opportunity for digital expansion, yet the gap in usage continues. Millions of Africans live within the reach of mobile broadband networks but do not utilise them, often because of the cost of devices and data.

National ambitions are high. Kenya’s National Digital Master Plan (2022-2032) aims for 100,000 km of fiber optic cables and 25,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots. Similarly, South Africa’s SA Connect Phase 2 is working towards connecting 5.5 million households and over 30,000 community Wi-Fi hotspots. The project seeks to attain 80% national broadband access by 2030.

However, implementation is where the real test resides. In Nigeria, the National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 aimed for 70% penetration. By late 2024, the country was approaching 50%, hindered by familiar practical challenges: high Right-of-Way (RoW) fees charged by state governments, frequent fiber cuts caused by road and other infrastructure works, and high diesel costs needed to power base stations.

At Salience Consulting, we have long advocated for policy harmonization. We have consistently emphasised that this harmonization is as crucial as capital investment. You cannot develop a national fiber backbone if each municipality imposes a different trench-digging levy.

The Commercial Case for “FibereCos”

Given these capital constraints, the FiberCo model, which involves independent fiber infrastructure companies, becomes essential. We are observing an increase in co-build strategies where competitors share the cost of the passive trench. Wholesale Open Access is the only sustainable solution for rural connectivity. It makes no financial sense for MTN, Airtel, and Vodacom, among others, to each excavate their own trench to a remote village. A single wholesale open-access network reduces CAPEX burdens and encourages competition at the service level, not the infrastructure level. The Mast Services spin-off by Vodacom and similar initiatives by MTN with IHS Towers are not merely financial engineering; they are survival strategies. They unlock the capital needed to extend fiber deeper into the “Capillary” networks, the last mile that directly reaches the consumer’s home or business.

The Salience Perspective: Three Critical Pillars for 2026

Building on our on-the-ground experience advising regulators and operators across the Middle East and Africa, we pinpoint three crucial pillars that will shape the success of the digital agenda over the next 12 to 24 months.

1) Harmonizing Digital Architectures: The Case for a Unified Ecosystem

Digital infrastructure yields the highest returns when it operates at scale. Currently, the region faces a challenge of technical fragmentation: differing spectrum allocations, inconsistent data classification frameworks, and complex cross-border interconnect protocols. These inconsistencies act as artificial barriers, increasing latency and operational costs for digital services.

• In Africa: Expanding the “One Africa Network” Concept: The emphasis is shifting towards technical interoperability to create a seamless digital zone. By harmonizing spectrum release roadmaps and reducing cross-border interconnection friction, operators can enable “roam-like-home” experiences and support cross-border fintech applications. The aim is to establish a unified technical environment where digital trade and data flow as freely as they do within a single national network, reducing the cost of service delivery for end users.
• In the Middle East, to maximize investment in hyperscale data centres, data must move efficiently across borders. We are advocating for the alignment of data sovereignty and privacy standards across GCC markets. A unified approach to data classification would enable cloud providers to deploy multi-country availability zones, significantly reducing latency for enterprise applications and creating a more attractive environment for global tech investment.

2) The Energy-Data Nexus

We cannot discuss broadband in 2026 without addressing power. Data centres are energy vampires. As AI workloads grow, rack density and power demands are soaring. Interestingly, Africa’s energy challenges have driven innovation. We see telcos becoming anchor tenants for renewable energy mini-grids. In places like Morocco, new data centre projects (such as the recent announcements by Iozera and Naver) are explicitly linked to green energy sources. Additionally, there is the strategic imperative. For regulators, granting a licence for a hyperscale data centre must now include a “Power Impact Assessment.” You cannot connect a 100MW facility to a fragile national grid without a dedicated power plan.

3) The Resilience Factor: Redundancy is Not Optional

The geopolitical instability in the Red Sea has highlighted the fragility of the world’s most critical digital artery. With cables running through the “choke points” of Egypt and Yemen, which face security risks, the region needs alternative corridors. We are advising on the development of land routes, such as the Digital Silk Way crossing Central Asia and the Caspian, and on expanded terrestrial fiber across Saudi Arabia (connecting the Gulf to the Red Sea/Jordan) to bypass maritime bottlenecks. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites such as Starlink are no longer just for rural areas; they are becoming a critical redundancy layer for enterprise and government continuity during fiber cuts.

The Era of Implementation

The “vision” phase for the Middle East and Africa is largely complete. We have the master plans, Saudi Vision 2030, Smart Rwanda, Digital Egypt, and Kenya’s Digital Master Plan.

The focus for 2026 is purely implementation.

• For Governments, this means streamlining Right-of-Way permitting and harmonizing data laws.
• For Investors, this means looking beyond the “easy” tower assets and funding the complex fiber backhaul and green energy solutions.
• For Operators, this means completing the psychological and operational shift from “Telco” to “TechCo.”

Broadband is no longer a utility; it is the nervous system of the region’s economic future. As the narrative shifts from simple penetration rates to data sovereignty and AI capacity, the stakes have risen to over $620 billion. The nations that treat digital infrastructure with the strategic nuance of a trade corridor—solving for the critical ‘energy-data’ nexus and regional integration—will do more than connect their citizens; they will secure their place as economic powerhouses in the 2030s.

At Salience Consulting, we remain committed to helping our clients navigate this transition,  moving from the slide deck to the trench, and from strategy to sustainable, connected reality.

Author

Ammar Hamadien

Principal Consultant and Head of Strategic Partnerships

The post The Rise of the TechCo: Redefining Digital Infrastructure in the MEA Region appeared first on Salience Consulting.

Everywhere you look, telecom projects are growing, 5G, Open RAN, fibre rollout, AI integration, edge cloud… yet, finding good people to actually deliver them? That’s becoming the real bottleneck.

I’ve had multiple conversations with project leads this quarter who all say the same thing:

“We’ve got the funding, the scope, and the plan, but we can’t find the right team.”

And it’s not just talk:

• 42% of UK telecom firms say they’re already struggling with a digital skills gap. (source: FENews, 2024)
• 60% of telecom engineers are now over 50 years old, and just 3% are under 35. (TechUK, 2024)
• Globally, 90% of organisations expect to feel the impact of the IT-skills crisis by 2026. (IDC, 2024)

So what happens when you’re running a multi-million-dollar infrastructure rollout… and you’re still missing key technical heads?

Delays. Cost overruns. Burnout. And eventually, loss of trust, or maybe even your job!

At Salience Consulting, we’ve been seeing this first-hand across major digital transformation projects. Our clients are asking for hybrid talent, people who can bridge telecom and digital. The issue isn’t just hiring fast; it’s hiring smart.

If your team is gearing up for big telecom or digital infrastructure projects in 2026, now’s the time to start planning your talent strategy, not when the project’s already delayed.

We can help you:

• Map out your future-critical roles and skill gaps
• Tap into specialist and contractor networks
• Build flexible resourcing models to keep projects moving

It’s not just recruitment, it’s risk management.

Author:
Ali Kazmi

The post Telecom’s biggest problem in 2026 isn’t tech, it’s people appeared first on Salience Consulting.

Building upon one of our previous milestones, the successful mapping of the entire fibre optic backbone across Africa, including existing, planned, and missing networks, we are now expanding our GIS efforts to new frontiers, including more granular middle-mile and last-mile network segments.

This accomplishment represents not only a significant technical achievement but also a vital contribution to accelerating digital infrastructure development and promoting connectivity. By providing an extensive view of telecom networks, we empower stakeholders such as governments, regulators, and private investors, with the insights necessary for informed decision-making, optimized network planning, and strategic investments.

Our latest milestone highlights our growing expertise in designing and mapping middle-mile networks and, increasingly, to some extent, last-mile connections. This enables us to deliver highly detailed spatial analyses that reveal network gaps, optimize routing, and support effective infrastructure deployment. Through advanced mapping, route modelling, and gap analysis, our team utilises GIS not just as a visualization tool but as a practical engine for smarter, data-driven, and inclusive telecom infrastructure development.

As we celebrate International GIS Day, we reaffirm our commitment to utilizing the power of spatial data and analysis to improve network planning and connectivity. From the backbone to the last mile, our GIS team continues to apply precise, data-driven methods that drive the development of modern, resilient, and future-ready telecom networks across the globe.

The post Mapping the Future of Connectivity appeared first on Salience Consulting.

Several strong forces are propelling this shift. The need for sophisticated digital public services such as e-government portals, digital health records, remote learning platforms, and national digital identity systems is rapidly increasing. These services depend on secure, scalable, and in most cases, locally hosted infrastructure. At the same time, cloud computing is revolutionizing enterprise IT and public services, while the expansion of edge computing is moving processing closer to end-users, enabling real-time applications such as autonomous transportation and smart manufacturing.

MENA’s cloud services market exemplifies this momentum. IDC projects that public cloud expenditure in the region will surpass USD 9 billion by 2027, demonstrating that digital transformation is no longer just an aspiration; it is actively underway. The number of Internet of Things (IoT) connections in the region is predicted to exceed 1.1 billion by 2025, placing additional pressure on network infrastructure and data management systems.

Compounding these developments is the rising importance of data sovereignty. As countries implement laws to localize sensitive data, especially in the finance, healthcare, and government sectors, telecom operators are encouraged to adopt a more strategic role. In Saudi Arabia, the Cloud Computing Regulatory Framework mandates specific compliance regarding data residency and protection. The UAE’s Federal Personal Data Protection Law similarly elevates standards for organizations handling personal data of citizens. In both cases, telecom operators, with their physical infrastructure, regulatory expertise, and trusted market position, are well placed to respond.

This evolving landscape prompts us to reassess the very foundation of digital infrastructure. Instead of viewing telecom as a standalone industry, it is more effective to see it as a fundamental layer within a multi-tiered digital stack. At the base of this stack are physical infrastructure components, including towers, fiber optic cables, submarine systems, and data centers. Connectivity also encompasses 4G and 5G mobile networks, fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) services, and emerging satellite technologies. Above connectivity lies the increasingly essential layer of cloud and edge computing, where data is stored, processed, and analyzed in real-time. Beyond this is a platform of services, including digital identity, cybersecurity, content delivery frameworks, and data exchange protocols, which support applications and public services. At the top of the stack is the digital ecosystem itself, a diverse network of services, start-ups, enterprises, and institutions that rely on robust digital foundations to operate, innovate, and grow.

Several telecom operators in the region are already adopting this broader role. e&, for example, has repositioned itself as a technology investment group, expanding into fintech, enterprise services, and AI solutions. In 2022, the group’s digital services revenue increased by over 45 per cent, highlighting the commercial potential of this shift. In Saudi Arabia, STC has launched Center3 to consolidate its data center and international cable infrastructure and is pursuing a strategy to establish the Kingdom as a digital hub connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe. Telecom Egypt, similarly, is leveraging its geographical advantage and investing in hyperscale data centers and connectivity corridors to transform Egypt into a regional digital gateway.

Yet, as telcos venture further up the digital stack, they face new challenges. Traditional and outdated regulatory models, mainly focused on licensing, spectrum, and interconnection, are no longer sufficient. Emerging business models that incorporate platform services, AI tools, and edge-hosted content necessitate new forms of oversight, technical standards, and governance frameworks. Policymakers must develop in tandem with industry, creating agile and forward-looking frameworks that safeguard the public interest while fostering innovation.

For telecom operators themselves, transformation must start with investment. Upgrading existing infrastructure to support cloud, edge, and high-performance applications is no longer optional. Strategic partnerships, particularly with hyperscalers and cloud service providers, can provide rapid access to new capabilities; however, they must be carefully managed to maintain local control over critical infrastructure. Equally important is developing in-house capabilities. As telcos of the future evolve into technology companies, investing in talent, ranging from cloud architects to cybersecurity experts, will become increasingly essential.

Governments, on the other hand, have a role to play in accelerating this evolution. By incentivizing the deployment of sovereign cloud infrastructure, supporting public-private partnerships, and embedding telecom operators into national digital transformation strategies, policymakers can unlock significant value for their economies. Regulation must be clear, consistent, and focused on outcomes, encouraging competition while also enabling long-term and sustainable infrastructure investment.

This shift from being solely a connectivity provider to becoming a digital infrastructure orchestrator is not just a commercial opportunity for operators; it is a national necessity. In an era where economic resilience, innovation, and competitiveness increasingly depend on digital infrastructure, it must be regarded as a strategic asset. Telecom operators, with their extensive networks, physical assets, and operational expertise, are uniquely positioned to lead this change. In this moment of transformation, connectivity alone is no longer sufficient. The future of telecom lies in its ability to serve as the foundation for digital resilience, innovation, and national competitiveness.

At Salience Consulting, we envision the future of telecom as one that requires confidently embracing this new role with clarity and purpose. We collaborate with operators, regulators, and international financing bodies across the MENA region to develop strategies, policies, and investment plans that align with this vision, aiming to build resilient, future-proof digital infrastructure. Infrastructure extends beyond technology; it’s about creating the foundation for upcoming digital growth. These changes are not just technical; they are strategic shifts. Making the right choices will determine who leads, who falls behind, and who gets left out.

That’s where Salience Consulting comes in!

Whether assisting a regulator in crafting modern policies, helping a telecom operator develop its strategic roadmap, or advising a development bank on the feasibility of a hyperscale project, we leverage our technical expertise, policy insights, commercial acumen, and regional and international experience to bridge the gap between vision and impact. As telecom operators prepare to take the lead in this evolving landscape, Salience Consulting is poised to guide, support, and accelerate that transition, offering actionable strategies, integrated policy approaches, and a dedicated focus on creating long-term value for all stakeholders.

If your organization is looking to turn digital ambition into digital infrastructure, we’re here to help make it a reality.

Author

Ammar Hamadien

Principal Consultant
and Head of Strategic Partnerships

The post Rewiring the Future: How MENA telcos are powering the next digital economy appeared first on Salience Consulting.

Artificial intelligence in telecommunications mainly focuses on strategic implementation of its technologies in streamlining operations.  Examples of these operations include automating routine tasks, using AI’s predictive capabilities to anticipate network failures, analyzing user data and preferences, and even content delivery and video analytics.

The latest reports from Nvidia indicate that 84% of global telecommunication companies reported revenue growth with AI adoption. 21% of telcos report that AI has helped boost their revenue by 10%, while others report reduced losses since implementing AI. These statistics illustrate the impact of artificial intelligence on the telecommunications sector.

The impact ranges from network optimization and customer service to fraud detection, cybersecurity, market analysis, regulatory compliance, and even data monetization. Nevertheless, the widespread impact has led to ethical considerations. In the US, the number of AI regulations increased significantly between 2023 and 2024, reflecting the government’s push for ethical oversight of the sector.

Source: Stanford University 2025 AI Index Report

1. Optimizing Telecommunication Network with AI

For network optimization, AI systems or algorithms can analyze network data to identify congestion points, predict traffic patterns, and allocate network resources efficiently. As such, telecommunications systems can effortlessly handle increased loads without sacrificing performance.

With AI, telcos can automate critical tasks, including fault detection, traffic routing, and capacity planning. This automation is especially true for 5G systems, where AI is integrated to adjust configurations and improve energy efficiency autonomously.

Case Study: Samsung & SK Telecom: AI-Driven 5G Network Optimization

In 2024, Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom initiated a commercial deployment of the AI-RAN Parameter Recommender, a deep learning–based system designed to optimize 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) performance. The AI model, trained on SK Telecom’s extensive network data, evaluates key metrics such as signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), traffic congestion, mobility patterns, and radio frequency conditions to generate real-time, site-specific configuration recommendations.

The AI recommender fine-tunes over 40 base station parameters, including beamforming settings, transmission power, antenna tilt, and handover thresholds. In trial deployments, this resulted in a 24% increase in downlink throughput, a 15–20% reduction in latency, and notable energy savings through adaptive resource allocation. These enhancements were achieved without hardware upgrades, relying solely on software-driven intelligence.

The system supports multi-objective optimization, enabling telcos to balance priorities such as performance, energy efficiency, and user experience. It also integrates with O-RAN-compliant RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs) for distributed AI decision-making across vendor-neutral infrastructure.

This partnership marks a clear shift toward AI-native telecom networks, where automated, intelligent RAN management enables more agile, scalable, and cost-efficient service delivery.

For more details, refer to: https://www.rcrwireless.com/20241028/network-infrastructure/sk-telecom-samsung-use-ai-optimize-5g-base-stations

2. Enhanced Fraud Detection and Cybersecurity

When it comes to fraud in the telecommunications sector, we have international revenue fraud, one-ring scams, SIM swapping, subscription fraud, and PBX hacking. These present several complex challenges for telecommunication companies. However, these challenges are being addressed with the implementation of AI.

Telecommunication companies now integrate machine learning predictive analysis, real-time fraud monitoring, natural language processing, and even enhanced customer profiling for fraud detection and prevention.

AT&T is one of the major telecommunications companies integrating AI to combat fraud. The company monitors traffic with AI-driven analytics and integrates AI systems to identify unusual call patterns and sudden spikes in international calls.

Vodafone is another telco that has successfully integrated AI systems to identify and block spam numbers and messages.

3. Quick and Thorough Market Analysis

With AI and machine learning systems, telcos can quickly make sense of a vast amount of user data generated daily. A recent global digital overview indicates that over 5 billion people were using the internet at the start of April 2025. With the average user spending 33 hours online daily, Dell Technologies estimates that there will be approximately 79.4 zetabytes of data in 2025.

AI systems are not just quick but also thorough when it comes to market analysis. Telecommunication companies now use them to identify customer behavior and make personalized recommendations, predict customer churn, identify customer segments with the highest conversion potential, and even segment customers based on demographic, usage patterns, and age brackets. Customer data platforms (CDPs) are integral in these analyses, as they unify data from different sources and share it across AI-powered systems.

Verizon’s AI implementation in market analysis is one of the most prominent case studies. The company uses AI to identify customers who travel frequently. This data allows Verizon to offer such customers personalized roaming plans beforehand. We also have real-time customer segmentation, which is the backbone of Verizon’s marketing strategies.

4. AI in Customer Support

Telcos such as Verizon and AT&T have adopted chatbot systems to improve customer support. These bots can handle routing customer inquiries and even offer self-service options. They also provide 24/7 support, freeing up human agents for more complex support tasks.

Current reports indicate a 25% increase in customer satisfaction since the introduction of chatbots. AI chatbots can make real-time recommendations to customers based on their behavior. Some provide proactive services, like Verizon’s AI systems. These can analyze customer data and predict potential issues, such as network disruptions or billing concerns.

What’s even better is that these chatbots or virtual assistants use natural language processing for their interactions. As such, you can communicate with them just as you would with an actual human agent. These AI-driven support systems not only understand complex queries but can also retain context in conversations.

Another example is Vodafone’s TOBI. This chatbot can facilitate plan upgrades, resolve queries, and process transactions. Vodafone has reported a 47% reduction in checkout times since integrating TOBI into its operations. The conversion rates and overall customer satisfaction are also better.

Improvements in customer experience metrics driven by the introduction of AI and the derived financial gains, can be further optimized when using digital-human models. The hybrid models integrate automated digital tools with human support systems, designed to deliver efficiency and empathy. While digital tools enable scalability and process optimization, human intervention remains accessible to address complex or sensitive interactions, ensuring a seamless and empathetic customer experience.

5. AI in Regulatory Compliance

With AI algorithms, telcos can easily monitor policy changes from various sources, both local and international. These sources include government websites, industry publications, and legal databases. AI systems can automate tasks, respond to anomalies immediately, and minimize compliance risks. These systems generally employ machine learning, natural language processing, and predictive analysis.

Deloitte’s findings reveal that 67% of companies have adopted or increased their investments in generative AI, a major player in AI-driven regulatory compliance monitoring. These AI-driven systems can monitor transactions, verify customer due diligence checks, screen customers against sanctions lists, automate reports and audits, and provide real-time updates on regulatory changes.

Today, companies can either develop in-house AI tools or adopt comprehensive GenAI platforms to ensure regulatory compliance. These platforms offer various tools, from customer verification during onboarding to anti-money laundering measures, transaction screening, and ongoing KYC.

6. AI in 5G Deployment

The recent Ericsson Mobility Report predicts that 85% of the global population will have access to 5G coverage by 2030. While a welcome development, these statistics pose challenges for managing the traffic. Intelligent network slicing is one of the AI-driven solutions to this traffic optimization and management. It was one of the highlights for Telenor at the 2025 Mobile World Congress. Telenor collaborated closely with Nvidia and BubbleRAN in developing this innovative technology, which leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to manage and optimize network slices, not only in 5G but also for future networks.

Telecommunication networks will be capable of real-time self-adjustments with the aid of AI. They will be capable of adjusting their bandwidths and processing power. As such, failures like buffering during streaming, dropped calls, and slow internet speeds will be significantly reduced or even eliminated.

The 5G network opens doors to possibilities such as smart cities, immersive VR and AR, and industrial IoT. Current developments in this regard include the partnership between Nokia and KDDI. The strategic partnership aims to explore how to leverage GPUs and generative AI to reduce 5G network-related costs, enhance network quality, and lower power consumption.

Several other companies, like Siemens, Singtel, and Ericsson, are exploring various AI-powered solutions to optimize 5G networks during deployment.

Ethical Challenges

The ethical concerns regarding the use of AI in the telecom industry encompass bias in training data, data privacy, accountability, transparency, explainability, and security. For these reasons, governments around the world have implemented or are in the process of implementing policies to protect telecom companies and their users. An example is the UK government’s principles on AI adoption, which promote the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the sector.

Telecommunication companies have turned to AI to tackle ethical and compliance issues. These AI-driven solutions include explainable models that create inclusive datasets to minimize bias and enhance the transparency of AI processes.

Conclusion: Harnessing AI for the Future of Telecommunications: Salience’s Vision and Commitment

At Salience Consulting, we recognize that artificial intelligence is not just transforming the telecommunications sector; it is redefining the very core of how digital infrastructure is designed, managed, and scaled. As a leading consultancy in digital transformation and telecom strategies across Africa, the Middle East and beyond, Salience Consulting is actively exploring how AI can be strategically integrated into our service offerings to help clients unlock new efficiencies, smarter operations, and scalable growth.

From network optimization and fraud detection to 5G deployment, customer experience, and compliance, the transformative use cases of AI closely align with our mission to deliver agile, data-driven solutions. We are currently building internal capabilities and partnerships to assess how AI-driven approaches, such as predictive analytics, intelligent automation, and generative tools, can be effectively embedded into future project delivery and advisory methodologies.

Whether advising regulators on telecom policies, designing national broadband strategies, or supporting operators with digital maturity assessments and rollout plans, we see AI not as a standalone technology but as a fundamental capability. Through strategic foresight, knowledge development, and innovation-driven engagements, Salience Consulting positions itself to help governments and telecom operators use AI responsibly as they prepare for the challenges of a hyperconnected, intelligent future.

Salience embraces key future trends in digital transformation, and the human role in a tech-driven future, by recommending hybrid digital-human models, to maximize customer satisfaction and the associated financial gains.

In this rapidly shifting landscape, Salience Consulting remains committed to being more than just a technology advisor; we are your transformation partner, helping shape resilient, intelligent, and inclusive telecom ecosystems powered by AI.

Author

Ammar Hamadien

Principal Consultant
and Head of Strategic Partnerships

The post The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the Telecommunications Sector appeared first on Salience Consulting.

Several developments in 2024 supported greater digital access. Global 5G coverage surpassed 2 billion users, improving connectivity for education and economic participation. In India, the telecom sector reached 1.2 billion subscribers, and initiatives like Jan Dhan Plus helped 12 million women access digital financial services, increasing savings by 50%. Research into 6G technology in early 2025 also suggests future improvements in connectivity.

However, challenges persist. Women still face online harassment, algorithmic bias, and hold only 26% of tech leadership roles globally, as reported by the 2024 Global Gender Gap Report.

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2025 will feature programs such as ITU160 Gender Champions, which brings nine young women to Geneva to contribute to digital policy discussions, and the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders in ICT, which will launch a platform to support inclusive tech governance.

Reducing the gender digital divide could boost global GDP by $1 trillion, particularly by empowering women in low- and middle-income countries. World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2025 is a call to action to support equal digital access, promote digital literacy, and create safe online spaces for women and girls.

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