2026 Global Telecom Commerce Trends Report

How Telecom Leaders Are Connecting Physical and Digital Commerce

Discover the trends, challenges, and priorities shaping the next era of telecom commerce.

Key Findings

Investment is accelerating. AI is becoming embedded in commercial operations. Physical stores continue to play a central role. Yet for many telecom organizations, connecting these pieces into one seamless customer experience remains a challenge.

  • 95% have increased unified commerce investment, yet only 49% can point to clearly measurable impact
  • 57% have deployed end-to-end real-time inventory visibility, while 39% still identify fragmented physical and digital systems as a major challenge
  • 98% already use AI in at least one area of their commercial operations
  • 49% now see the physical store as a combination of fulfillment and experiential roles, up from 29% in 2025

Inside the Report

As customers move between AI-assisted discovery, digital channels, stores, and service interactions, delivering one connected experience requires much more than optimizing each channel individually.

The report explores the technology, operations, and priorities behind that shift, including:

  • Investment and impact: Why rising unified commerce investment isn’t always translating into measurable business results.
  • Connected customer journeys: How telecom organizations are working to create greater continuity across physical and digital channels.
  • The foundation behind the experience: How inventory visibility, fulfillment, repair, and shared commerce systems support more connected experiences.
  • The evolving role of the store: Why physical retail isn’t disappearing, and how stores are becoming more integrated with fulfillment, service, and customer experience.
  • AI in telecom commerce: Where AI is already being deployed, how it’s changing customer discovery, and the operational barriers standing in the way.
  • What Connected Commerce Leaders do differently: The priorities that distinguish Connected Commerce Leaders from Mainstream organizations.

A Global View of Telecom Commerce

The research captures perspectives from 335 telecom leaders representing operators, retailers, MVNOs, device makers, and other organizations across the telecom commerce ecosystem.

Respondents include Tier 1 national operators, regional and challenger carriers, independent telecom and consumer-electronics retailers, fixed broadband operators and ISPs, MVNOs, and other telecom and commerce-adjacent businesses.

The research was conducted by TelcoTitans on behalf of iQmetrix in September 2026.