The telecom industry’s efforts to drive efficiencies with AI are beginning to show fruit.

An increasing focus on deploying AI into radio access networks (RANs) was among the key findings of NVIDIA’s third annual “State of AI in Telecommunications” survey, as more than a third of respondents indicated they’re investing or planning to invest in AI-RAN. The survey polled more than 450 telecommunications professionals worldwide, revealing continued momentum for AI adoption — including growth in generative AI use cases — and how the technology is helping optimize customer experiences and increase employee productivity.

Of the telecommunications professionals surveyed, almost all stated that their company is actively deploying or assessing AI projects. Here are some top insights on impact and use cases:

• 84% said AI is helping to increase their company’s annual revenue
• 77% said AI helped reduce annual operating costs
• 60% said increased employee productivity was their biggest benefit from AI
• 44% said they’re investing in AI for customer experience optimization, which is the No. 1 area of investment for AI in telecommunications
• 40% said they’re deploying AI into their network planning and operations, including RAN

Business Impact on AI in Telecommunications

Survey results highlight that use of AI in the telecom industry has helped increase revenue and reduce costs. 84% of respondents said that the technology is helping increase their company’s annual revenue, with 21% saying that AI had contributed to a more than 10% revenue increase in specific business areas. In addition, 77% agreed that AI helped reduce annual operating costs.

The wide array of AI use cases and impact on the bottom line has led to greater confidence in the future: 80% of respondents believe that AI is crucial for their company’s future success, while two-thirds plan to increase spending on AI infrastructure this year.

The telecommunications industry is at the forefront of AI adoption, with a clear focus on enhancing employee productivity, customer experience and network operations. By continuing to invest in AI infrastructure and training, telecom companies can stay ahead of the curve and capitalize on the numerous benefits that AI offers.

AI Finds Its Way Into the Network Stack

AI in the telecommunications network is gaining momentum, with 37% of respondents saying they’re investing in AI to improve network planning and operations. Similarly, 33% said they invested in using AI for field-operations optimization in the last year.

Of the respondents investing in AI for 5G monetization and/or 6G research and development, 66% are aiming to deploy AI services on RAN for operational and user needs, 53% are aiming to enhance spectral efficiency for the RAN, and 50% are aiming to colocate AI and RAN applications on the same infrastructure.

Generative AI Goes Mainstream

Generative AI is gaining significant attention in telecoms. More than half of survey respondents who said they’re using generative AI have already deployed their first use case, while another third plan to do so this year.

Of those respondents adopting generative AI, 84% said that their companies plan to offer generative AI solutions externally to customers. 52% said they would offer generative AI as a software-as-a-service solution, while 35% will offer generative AI as a platform for developers, including for compute services.

There’s also a notable trend toward using multiple approaches for AI development, including a rise in in-house and open-source capabilities.

Download the “State of AI in Telecommunications: 2025 Trends” report for in-depth results and insights.

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