A forward-looking snapshot from Enea of the traits, tensions, and applied sciences set to form the yr forward
As telecom heads into 2026, a number of themes are converging: satellite tv for pc connectivity shifting into the mainstream, AI shifting from customer-facing instruments into core community operations, regulators flexing their muscle mass, and messaging economics hitting important inflection factors. Beneath, Enea presents a forward-looking snapshot of the traits, tensions, and applied sciences set to form the yr forward.
LEO roars?
In 2026, we’ll see Satellite tv for pc connectivity going extra mainstream; the variety of competing teams making an attempt to meet up with Starlink’s first-mover benefit is rising, with notable tie-ups between Apple and Globalstar and Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile coming on-line to match T-Cellular’s T-Satellite tv for pc launch in mid-2025. Because the system (and eSIM) market evolves, extra individuals will be capable of join simply.
It received’t give the identical bandwidth wanted, however we’ll now see built-in information plans with mobile (and Wi-Fi) protection providing extra common service. We’re on the early levels right here with 30+ providers in operation right now and already one other 30 scheduled for 2026 launch. Low earth orbit (LEO) satellite tv for pc enlargement is inherently linked with AI, primarily for operational effectivity but additionally now for cybersecurity (assault and protection), with extra questions on the sovereignty of information gathered on the area edge.
As satellite tv for pc goes mainstream and enters the collective consciousness of customers, we solely see this market increasing; the worth level for this extra service may also be attention-grabbing to observe. T-Cellular presents it as an add-on at $10 USD a month with particular purposes enabled; In New Zealand, One.Nz presents rural information plans with satellite tv for pc for the equal of $28 USD per thirty days. Orange have just lately introduced an SMS plan add-on at €5 a month (with Skylo) – and a knowledge plan set to observe.
AI – Out of CRM and into telecom ops?
The fact of AI is with us – it has had a major enterprise influence in 2025. In telecom, there was a number of give attention to automation and buyer relationship administration. In 2026, AI might be utilizing extra buyer and community information with supervised studying to get extra operationally centered — each in predictive and reactionary methods — to construct a greater, safer connectivity expertise. The potential objections on the grounds of GDPR and information sovereignty need to be answered for Telecom, in addition to the core ‘match for goal’ questions.
It takes time and expertise for operations groups to belief methods, however in 2026, we must always see this hole being closed for AI-based methods as groups become familiar with the truth of the know-how, the information wanted for AI to be taught and options the place it has probably the most influence.
“I fought the regulation, however the regulation received?”
The implementation of U.Okay. and EU telecom regulation started to chunk in 2025, with US tech corporations discovered to be in breach of laws from each U.Okay. regulator Ofcom and the EU Digital Providers Act. The most recent challenge was the proposed advantageous for X of $120 million for breaches of promoting guidelines. Mixed with the French regulator’s €150 million Euro advantageous for Apple in 2025 (additionally for promoting) and the latest announcement that the EU is beginning an investigation into AI Search Engine responses with Google.
This may be interpreted in two methods — as the best of the regulator to make and implement enterprise guidelines of their jurisdictions or, alternatively, as an assault on U.S. firms within the each day enterprise by over-regulation.
The threatening escalation is in commerce, tariff disputes and open markets. 2026 will see how a lot tooth the regulator has, what their enforcement choices are, how they’ll race to meet up with AI and the challenges each in courts and politically between the US administration and the EU.
SMS pricing gone wild — AI to the rescue?
Is 2026 the yr when rising worldwide A2P SMS termination charges lastly hit again at operators? Many cell community operators have continued rising Worldwide Termination Charges (ITRs) in an effort to spice up A2P revenues. However past a sure threshold, costs gone wild have the alternative impact: they drive site visitors away.
By the tip of 2025, common ITRs exceeded $0.14, a important tipping level. Above this degree, SMS volumes decline sharply. In reality, site visitors already begins to fall as soon as costs rise above $0.10 per message. On common, each $0.01 enhance past $0.10 leads to a 2.9% drop in site visitors, with the steepest declines occurring between $0.14 and $0.20.
Costs are anticipated to stay elevated in 2026 and will even proceed climbing. However 2026 can also be prone to be the yr when community operators start testing smarter, value-based pricing fashions to counter income erosion. With AI-driven messaging intelligence now able to classifying site visitors into important vs. non-critical classes, operators can align prices with precise message worth and invoice accordingly. The upside is substantial: sensible pricing can enhance A2P SMS revenues by as much as 130%.
Within the meantime, because the market waits for clever pricing fashions to realize traction, the broader messaging ecosystem will search for options to maintain manufacturers engaged. Wealthy Communication Providers (RCS) for enterprise is one potential path—providing richer experiences that many manufacturers ought to start shifting finances towards.
RCS “glow-up,” accelerated by AI
We should always count on Wealthy Communications Providers (RCS) for enterprise to enter a stronger development section in 2026, pushed by broader operator adoption, maturing requirements, and Apple’s gradual rollout of RCS on iOS. Collectively, these components considerably broaden attain and enhance confidence amongst manufacturers. As famous by Mobilesquared, the FIFA World Cup 2026 can also be prone to function a significant catalyst. The ‘glow-up’ supplied by the extra options RCS offers might be accelerated by such occasions, showcasing the worth of RCS on a world scale.
As RCS adoption rises, we’ll see an explosion of wealthy media in enterprise messaging, a lot of it created or optimized utilizing AI. AI may also energy the design of conversational flows and allow hyper-personalized buyer experiences by leveraging behavioral and contextual information.
However spammers at all times observe customers. As site visitors shifts towards RCS, we will count on AI-generated spam and smishing campaigns to develop, with content material that’s more and more plausible, customized, and coercive. This may make sturdy RCS safety and superior risk detection extra important than ever.
CEO — Canary within the coal mine for information breach and cyber well being
South Korea has lengthy been held because the Canary within the coal mine for the world economic system as a consequence of its high-tech manufacturing base and export pushed industries.
However may it additionally now be the identical for information breaches and cyberattacks? In 2025, three Korean CEOs have accepted duty as a consequence of giant information breaches, representing an unacceptably giant lack of information and an existential risk to their enterprise (CEO of Korea Telecom [KT], the CEO of South Korea Telecom [SKT], and CEO of E-Commerce large Coupang). Every CEO taking final duty for the lack of information and belief. The destiny of telecom large LG Uplus’ CEO stays unsure after they had been victims of a latest cyberattack.
In Europe, with the arrival of NIS-2 into laws (Community and Data Safety Directive 2) we’re seeing that distributors discovered accountable for cybersecurity-related outages is also held accountable for damages not directly incurred by organizations utilizing their software program, if acceptable checks and safeguards are discovered to be missing. .
We don’t count on that the frequency of cybersecurity incidents will lower in 2026, however with the potential monetary ramifications changing into clear in class-action lawsuits, shareholder activism, and NIS-2 laws being enacted, we do count on that for extra CEOs, within the phrases of US President Harry Truman, “The buck stops right here.” It’s greater than responsibility and honor — it’s about organizational cyber well being in 2026.
