Why catalogue complexity is hindering telecoms operators’ AI ambitions

Telecoms operators are investing in digital channels, automation and AI, but many struggle to translate these ambitions into faster launches or more flexible commercial models. One of the least visible but most persistent constraints sits upstream of these initiatives: fragmented and weakly governed product and technical catalogues. As portfolios expand and ecosystem complexity increases, catalogue limitations are increasingly shaping what operators can do, not just how efficiently they do it.

Catalogue issues have previously been treated as a back‑office concern, addressed through periodic IT modernisation programmes. However, that framing no longer holds. Catalogue complexity is now directly affecting time to market, partner enablement and the credibility of AI‑driven automation strategies. Operators that continue to treat catalogues as static systems of record risk building advanced capabilities on unstable foundations.