The State of Telecom Commerce: Where Confidence Is High and Execution Gets Harder

Telecom leaders are feeling optimistic. In a new global survey of 335 telecom leaders, 94% expect their commercial revenue to grow over the next three years.

But confidence is only part of the story. Customers move between apps, websites, contact centers, and stores; AI is changing how they discover and buy; physical retail is taking on new roles; and operators are investing heavily to keep up. The harder question is whether that investment is translating into results.

New global research from iQmetrix and TelcoTitans explores where telecom commerce stands today. It reveals an industry confident in its direction but facing real gaps between ambition and execution.

Why telecom commerce research matters now

Telecom operators, retailers, MVNOs, and device makers are navigating several major shifts at once: rising customer expectations, AI-powered discovery, economic uncertainty, and stores that are being asked to do more than ever. Individually, none of these shifts are new, but their convergence is what stands out.

For leaders deciding where to invest, benchmarks matter. This research shows where operators are placing their bets, what concerns them most, and where real progress is proving slower than the headlines imply.

A global view of telecom commerce

For the first time, this year’s research expands the study globally, capturing perspectives from telecom leaders across North America, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific, and representing organizations ranging from Tier 1 national operators and independent retailers to MVNOs and device makers. 

The result is a clearer picture of what the industry shares and where priorities begin to diverge by region. Some challenges are universal, while others look quite different depending on where you operate.

What are the biggest trends shaping telecom commerce?

The biggest trends shaping telecom commerce include rising investment in connected commerce, growing expectations for seamless experiences, the evolving role of physical retail, and the growing influence of AI across the customer journey.

Investment is rising, but impact is harder to prove

Organizations clearly recognize connected commerce as a strategic priority. More revealing is the gap between the investment going in and the results organizations can confidently demonstrate.

While investment is widespread, only 49% of respondents can point to clearly measurable business impact from unified commerce investments so far.

The full research suggests that closing this gap requires more than adding technology. Strategy, ownership, architecture, and execution each play a role.

Seamless commerce increasingly means connected commerce

Customers don’t think in terms of channels. They expect the context of their relationship with a provider to carry with them wherever they go.

That expectation is changing what ​“seamless” really means.

Rather than simply offering more channels, operators are increasingly considering how inventory, customer information, offers, orders, and other context can move between them. The research shows strong expectations for much greater integration in the years ahead, while also revealing how far many organizations still have to go.

The role of the telecom store is changing

Physical retail remains an important part of telecom commerce, but its purpose is evolving.

The findings point toward stores becoming more integrated with digital journeys and taking on a broader combination of experiential, service, support, and fulfillment functions.

The interesting question isn’t whether the store survives digital transformation. It’s where the store creates unique value within a connected journey.

AI is raising the stakes for orchestration

AI is already influencing telecom commerce, from customer support and discovery to associate tools, forecasting, and personalization. But adoption alone isn’t the most interesting part of the story.

As AI becomes more embedded in how customers discover, compare, and buy, a bigger question emerges: are today’s commerce environments ready to support what’s coming next?

That turns AI readiness into a broader commerce question, not simply an AI question.

Where the execution gaps appear

Taken together, the findings reveal a telecom industry with considerable confidence in where commerce is heading. The harder challenge is turning that vision into an experience customers can actually feel.

The research suggests the gap is less about ambition and more about what it takes to execute consistently across an increasingly connected commerce environment.

And while many organizations are navigating similar challenges, some are making greater progress than others. The differences aren’t always where you might expect, and they point to an important question for telecom leaders: what separates ambition from meaningful impact?

Get the 2026 Global Telecom Commerce Trends Report

How large is the gap between investment and impact? How do priorities differ across North America, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific? Where are operators furthest ahead, and what separates the industry’s Connected Commerce Leaders from Mainstream organizations?

The full 2026 Global Telecom Commerce Trends Report explores the data behind these questions, including regional benchmarks, AI and retail trends, operational friction points, and the characteristics of organizations leading the shift toward more connected commerce.

Get the full report to explore the findings and benchmark your organization’s approach to connected commerce.