Operators’ network-related AI activity: trends and analysis 2018−1H 2026
16 October 2026 | Research
Tracker report | PPTX and PDF | Automated Assurance| AI and Data Platforms
“Agentic AI has moved from the margins to the mainstream of the network in barely 18 months, and operators that are not already building the operational foundations for it risk being left behind.”
Telecoms operators worldwide have publicly announced over 1100 AI projects since 2018, and the network domain now accounts for a rising share of that activity.
This report draws on Analysys Mason’s Telecoms operator AI/analytics activity tracker to examine how operators are applying AI across network operations, optimisation and infrastructure; which vendors and countries are leading; and how quickly agentic AI is entering the network.
Information included in this report
- An analysis of 274 publicly announced network-related AI projects worldwide (2018–1H 2026), drawn from Analysys Mason’s Telecoms operator AI/analytics activity tracker
- A breakdown of the network use cases that operators are actually implementing, from fault detection and management to network optimisation and service operations
- Evidence of how fast GenAI and agentic AI are displacing classical machine learning in the network
- An assessment of where activity is concentrated by country, and of which vendors are winning network AI work
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Analysys Mason tracks and analyses changing telecoms metrics.
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