Juniper Analysis’s 2026 tendencies report highlights how AI, eSIM convergence, 6G innovation, and satellites are reshaping world connectivity
In its new report, High 10 Telecoms & Connectivity Developments 2026, Juniper Analysis identifies the applied sciences and enterprise fashions that may outline the following section of digital connectivity, from AI-driven buyer interactions and converged MVNO-eSIM platforms to terahertz spectrum breakthroughs and multi-orbit satellite tv for pc networks.
Total, the forecast paints an image of a telecom trade shifting from infrastructure to intelligence, based on Sam Barker, the agency’s VP of telecoms market analysis. “This 12 months’s tendencies display how telecoms is transferring past infrastructure in the direction of intelligence, as automation, safety, and buyer expertise develop into central to development. Operators can now not compete on community power alone. Success now will depend on how intelligently they use rising applied sciences to ship worth, effectivity, and belief throughout each layer of connectivity.”
Under, we’ve highlighted 5 of essentially the most impactful tendencies shaping telecom’s close to future.
AI brokers will redefine buyer interplay
The primary development Juniper Analysis recognized is that AI brokers are more and more automating duties inside buyer interactions by connecting to instruments and knowledge sources to execute multi-step targets.
These brokers are evolving into modular, composable parts that combine with communication platforms akin to Communications Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS), Contact Centre-as-a-Service (CCaaS), and Buyer Relationship Administration (CRM) techniques, including a brand new layer of automation to buyer engagement. Juniper Analysis expects industrial deployment of AI brokers for buyer help to scale considerably in 2026, as these use circumstances are simpler to implement and supply clear ROI. “AI brokers for buyer help use circumstances would be the first to be scaled inside buyer communications; these use circumstances are straightforward to determine and supply clearer return on funding in contrast with different purposes of AI brokers throughout the communications house,” the report states.
Initially, Juniper believes that AI brokers can be scaled via enterprise web sites and apps, with potential enlargement into advertising and marketing and conversational commerce. “Thus, the main communications platforms won’t solely be seeking to supply a number of brokers to automate duties throughout buyer help use circumstances however may even be trying on the implementation of AI brokers for advertising and marketing and conversational commerce use circumstances,” it mentioned, including that these use circumstances have the potential for larger margins. Additional, rising monetization fashions, significantly pay-per-usage and outcome-based approaches, are anticipated to drive adoption and value predictability in 2026.
One notable instance is the AI assistant added to Verizon’s “My Verizon” app. Developed in partnership with Google Cloud utilizing the Gemini mannequin household, this assistant handles duties like upgrades, billing inquiries, including strains, and account administration. It claimed that its 28,000-agent service group noticed a practically 40% enhance in gross sales through the service group and name dealing with instances after the launch.
The service this 12 months additionally launched the full-scale model of “Buyer Champions” — human brokers augmented by AI instruments to handle extra advanced points finish‑to‑finish (the AI handles routing, context, and so forth.).
MVNOs and journey eSIMs converge
Juniper Analysis famous that as a result of MVNO income is extra predictable than eSIM income, MVNOs are a extra engaging choice for serving world roaming prospects. Subsequently, continued the agency, these utilizing an MVNO-in-a-Field supplier that additionally presents journey eSIM enablement can be extra widespread. “In consequence, these enablers will supply mixed options that present a single, white-label platform permitting prospects to handle each home and journey plans in a single app,” the report acknowledged. By 2026, Juniper anticipates that eSIM expertise will evolve to help seamless world add-ons via a single set up, simplifying the person expertise and inspiring repeat purchases.
“In 2026, companies in search of to enter the telecoms market will supply each options collectively; with MVNO companies offering the recurring income and journey eSIMs offering an extra income stream,” states the report. “This can be enabled by the CaaS [Connectivity-as-a-Service] mannequin, the place MVNO-in-a-Field and journey eSIM enablement will develop into one resolution.”
A number of MVNOs already supply SIMs and eSIMs for vacationers, together with GigSky and BICs.
MVNO launches throughout industries
The MVNO market is “thriving” and “rising,” based on Juniper Analysis, which credit Telecommunications-as-a-Service (TaaS) as a key driver of this momentum. “The event of TaaS options has been important to the expansion in fintech MVNOs being launched not too long ago,” it famous, citing examples akin to Brazil-based Nubank, Revolut, and Klarna. “The TaaS mannequin is a key enabler of those MVNO launches, because it supplies the pliability for fintechs to maneuver shortly and have a streamlined entry into cellular companies markets.”
Looking forward to 2026, Juniper expects the following wave of MVNO development to come back from non-traditional industries — together with sports activities groups, charities, and retailers. The TaaS mannequin can be central to this enlargement, simplifying MVNO deployment whereas supporting smaller, area of interest operators.
We’re already seeing this development taking part in out. Neighborhood Fibre, a U.Okay. broadband supplier, plans to launch an eSIM-first cellular MVNO in mid-2025, leveraging its ~400,000 prospects to cross-sell cellular companies. FC Barcelona, via its “Barça Cellular” initiative, is getting ready to launch MVNO companies in 2025, beginning with a worldwide journey eSIM throughout greater than 170 international locations and later increasing to full cellular and fiber choices in Spain.
Within the U.S., Constitution Communications and Comcast — through their partnerships with T-Cellular US — are creating a business-focused MVNO service slated to launch in 2026, highlighting how the mannequin is evolving to serve each shopper and enterprise segments.
6G analysis accelerates — Terahertz spectrum a spotlight
Whereas the primary industrial 6G companies aren’t anticipated till 2030, critical analysis is already underway. Juniper believes that 2026 will see an acceleration of general 6G analysis, however that there can be a specific emphasis on Terahertz (THz) spectrum innovation. The THz vary is larger than millimeter wave and is outlined by IEEE and the ITU as being between 300 GHz and three THz. Nonetheless, it’s value stating that the trade discussions and analysis literature usually think about something past 100 GHz to be terahertz territory.
Past the technical parameters, Juniper sees THz spectrum analysis as important to avoiding previous 5G missteps, particularly operators’ failure to adequately monetize new capabilities. “As operators steadiness the necessity for elevated monetization with the necessity for effectivity, Juniper Analysis believes that the Terahertz spectrum can be required owing to its ultra-high throughput charges, precision in location-based companies, and higher spectrum effectivity.”
It added that in creating 6G networks, the main target ought to shift from pure pace positive aspects to effectivity and modularity. “This can place operators to learn from rising monetization fashions, notably usage-based pricing of networks,” the report concluded.
That imaginative and prescient is already mirrored in present lab work. For instance, researchers at SUNY Polytechnic Institute and Florida Worldwide College final month claimed terahertz breakthroughs for 6G networks. The pair constructed a J-band terahertz (THz) testbed working between 220 GHz and 330 GHz to review how indicators behave at ultra-high frequencies. They discovered that THz waves exhibit an prolonged near-field area and asymmetrical uplink-downlink habits, making conventional propagation fashions unreliable. The findings present an early framework for designing 6G techniques that use THz bands for sooner, extra environment friendly wi-fi communication.
“The terahertz band represents the following nice leap in communication expertise,” mentioned Analysis Director Dr. Arjun Singh. “Our work supplies the experimental setup for understanding how these indicators behave as they transition between near-field and far-field areas. That understanding is important to constructing the following era of high-speed, energy-efficient, and safe wi-fi techniques.”
Multi-orbit satellite tv for pc networks
Lastly, let’s check out the growing function of satellites in world connectivity. “The enlargement of satellite tv for pc constellations exhibits no signal of slowing,” mentioned Juniper. Starlink, for instance, has filed a request with the Federal Communications Fee (FCC) to launch as much as 15,000 satellites, whereas three Chinese language satellite tv for pc suppliers every have plans for constellations of greater than 10,000 satellites. Amazon’s Challenge Kuiper has additionally pledged to launch greater than 3,000 satellites by July 2029.
Nonetheless, Juniper famous that whereas Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites little question dominate a lot of the non-terrestrial community discussions, 2026 will see a shift, with satellite tv for pc suppliers more and more focusing their methods on the mixing of satellites throughout totally different orbits. “These multi-orbit methods allow the customers of NTNs to learn from the benefits offered by every orbit, with companies being optimized based mostly on the wants of the purposes,” the report acknowledged. “This versatile and dynamic use of community assets will lay the groundwork for next-generation connectivity companies, enabling purposes to leverage not solely terrestrial networks and NTNs, but in addition totally different orbits from a single supplier.”
For the opposite 5 tendencies, check out the complete report right here.
