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 vital inflection factors. Under, Enea affords a forward-looking snapshot of the traits, tensions, and applied sciences set to form the yr forward.
LEO roars?
In 2026, we are going to 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 growing, 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 machine (and eSIM) market evolves, extra individuals will be capable to join simply.
It gained’t give the identical bandwidth wanted, however we are going to now see built-in knowledge plans with mobile (and Wi-Fi) protection providing extra common service. We’re on the early phases right here with 30+ providers in operation immediately and already one other 30 scheduled for 2026 launch. Low earth orbit (LEO) satellite tv for pc growth is inherently linked with AI, primarily for operational effectivity but additionally now for cybersecurity (assault and protection), with further questions on the sovereignty of knowledge 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 value level for this extra service may also be fascinating to look at. T-Cellular affords it as an add-on at $10 USD a month with particular purposes enabled; In New Zealand, One.Nz affords rural knowledge plans with satellite tv for pc for the equal of $28 USD monthly. Orange have just lately introduced an SMS plan add-on at €5 a month (with Skylo) – and a knowledge plan set to comply with.
AI – Out of CRM and into telecom ops?
The fact of AI is with us – it has had a major enterprise impression in 2025. In telecom, there was a whole lot of deal with automation and buyer relationship administration. In 2026, AI will likely be utilizing extra buyer and community knowledge 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 knowledge sovereignty should be answered for Telecom, in addition to the core ‘match for function’ questions.
It takes time and expertise for operations groups to belief techniques, however in 2026, we should always see this hole being closed for AI-based techniques 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 impression.
“I fought the regulation, however the regulation gained?”
The implementation of U.Okay. and EU telecom regulation started to chunk in 2025, with US tech firms discovered to be in breach of laws from each U.Okay. regulator Ofcom and the EU Digital Providers Act. The newest challenge was the proposed wonderful for X of $120 million for breaches of promoting guidelines. Mixed with the French regulator’s €150 million Euro wonderful for Apple in 2025 (additionally for promoting) and the current announcement that the EU is beginning an investigation into AI Search Engine responses with Google.
This may be interpreted in two methods — as the proper of the regulator to make and implement enterprise guidelines of their jurisdictions or, alternatively, as an assault on U.S. companies 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 enamel the regulator has, what their enforcement choices are, how they are going to 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 cellular community operators have continued growing 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 visitors away.
By the tip of 2025, common ITRs exceeded $0.14, a vital tipping level. Above this degree, SMS volumes decline sharply. In reality, visitors already begins to fall as soon as costs rise above $0.10 per message. On common, each $0.01 improve past $0.10 ends in a 2.9% drop in visitors, with the steepest declines occurring between $0.14 and $0.20.
Costs are anticipated to stay elevated in 2026 and should 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 visitors into vital vs. non-critical classes, operators can align prices with precise message worth and invoice accordingly. The upside is substantial: good pricing can improve A2P SMS revenues by as much as 130%.
Within the meantime, because the market waits for clever pricing fashions to achieve traction, the broader messaging ecosystem will search for alternate 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 price range towards.
RCS “glow-up,” accelerated by AI
We must always count on Wealthy Communications Providers (RCS) for enterprise to enter a stronger progress part 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 improve confidence amongst manufacturers. As famous by Mobilesquared, the FIFA World Cup 2026 can also be prone to function a significant catalyst. The ‘glow-up’ offered by the extra options RCS offers will likely 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 knowledge.
However spammers at all times comply with customers. As 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, personalised, and coercive. It will make sturdy RCS safety and superior menace detection extra vital than ever.
CEO — Canary within the coal mine for knowledge breach and cyber well being
South Korea has lengthy been held because the Canary within the coal mine for the world economic system attributable to its high-tech manufacturing base and export pushed industries.
However might it additionally now be the identical for knowledge breaches and cyberattacks? In 2025, three Korean CEOs have accepted accountability attributable to massive knowledge breaches, representing an unacceptably massive lack of knowledge and an existential menace 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 accountability for the lack of knowledge and belief. The destiny of telecom large LG Uplus’ CEO stays unsure after they have been victims of a current cyberattack.
In Europe, with the appearance of NIS-2 into laws (Community and Info Safety Directive 2) we’re seeing that distributors discovered liable for cybersecurity-related outages is also held liable 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 obligation and honor — it’s about organizational cyber well being in 2026.