Operators can generate substantial revenue from AI services even without big investments in infrastructure

There are early signs that AI could offer a quicker pay-off than other emerging technologies such as 5G slicing and network APIs, though the size of the revenue opportunity is not yet clear. Many operators are understandably cautious about making significant investments, but they could make smaller investments in partnerships and internal capabilities rapidly and cheaply, and then strengthen their position as the market develops.

In our other article, Operators’ enterprise AI service portfolios extend far beyond AI infrastructure services, we discuss the range of AI enterprise services that operators are launching and how they aim to differentiate them. In this article, we consider the investments required and the likely pay-back in terms of revenue growth. Both articles draw on insights from our report, Enterprise AI services: 13 operator case studies and analysis.