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April 2023 - Telecommunications

Inability to quantify return on investment is holding back AI adoption in telecoms industry: A survey of telecommunications industry professionals around the world has revealed a number of barriers to AI adoption and also a disconnect between aspirations to adopt AI and the reality of doing so. Half of the respondents polled (50%) said they spent less than $1 million last year on AI-driven solutions, with 44% of respondents citing an inability to quantify return on investment as the top reason for holding back on investment.

The State of AI in Telecommunications survey by NVIDIA polled 400 leaders, managers, developers and IT architects from mobile, telecoms, fixed, and cable companies, also finding that a lack of data scientists/skilled workers in the area was a challenge -- with 34% of respondents saying this was a barrier to AI spending. Furthermore, a third said they don’t have the budget to advance their AI capabilities (33%).

When it comes to engagement, the survey revealed that the majority of respondents are engaged with AI (93%), however, just a third reported using it for more than six months (34%) and just under a quarter are still at the stage of developing their knowledge and understanding of AI. Just under a fifth of respondents polled (18%) said they are currently involved in a trial or pilot scheme of an AI project.

For those currently involved at trial level, almost three-quarters said that AI has resulted in a revenue boost in the last 12 months, while 80% said it has resulted in reduced annual costs. Of those reporting an increase in revenue, 17% saw a rise of more than 10% in specific parts of the business, while 15% of those reporting reduced annual costs noted a reduction of more than 10% (in certain areas).

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