Every telco project will face the same issue in 2026.
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