Edition #40: The Great Will-dini Returns? Grading My 2025 Telco Predictions

I love making predictions. As a telco consultant, it’s important I know where the industry is going, and how to keep my clients at the fore.

One year ago, I released my annual predictions for the future of our industry in 10 Big Ideas That Will Shape the Telco Industry in 2025.

Now twelve months later, it’s time to evaluate if I can retain my moniker of ‘The Great ‘Will-dini’.

In this edition of Telco Talk, I score my predictions – what came true, what didn’t, and what this all means for 2026 going forward. Let’s dive in!

1. Retail Telco Stores Embrace the Conversation | 🟨PARTIAL HIT

Prediction:

Stores will become less transactional and more like upscale lounges or tech-cafes, with personalised service at their core.

Outcome:

There has been progress here for sure. Brands like EE in the UK, Consumer Cellular in the USA, and a handful of others worldwide have started to understand that dwell time is important in telecoms. Their new stores designs have improved on the “clean white spaceship” concept that has plagued us for 15+ years.

EE stores in the UK are a great example of a telco who has embraced a multi-sensory design that uses dwell time as a key way to engage. It works.

There has also been a huge swell of brands, like TIM in Italy and Claro in Chile, who have clapped themselves on the back for opening that same exact boring white box concept that is all about the transaction and has nothing to do with the relationship or the experience. Telcos must do better on this in 2026.

2. Telco / Gaming Crossover Accelerates | 🟩HIT

Prediction:

Telcos will go all-in on gaming, with special tariffs and in-store showcases.

Outcome:

This is happening at pace now as telco operators realize that they must embrace the energy of other sectors to grow and bring in new customers. You can see the gaming execution from EE in UK; elsewhere, Mobily in Saudi Arabia have announced an eSports portal, with monthly subscriptions needed to access the gamut of daily eSports competitions and much more.

Mobily have a great crossover into this space, with monthly subscriptions too! I can’t wait to see how they bring it to life in their retail stores!

Expect this one to continue to grow in 2026.

3. Data Banks as a Form of Social Good | 🟨PARTIAL HIT

Prediction:

Telcos will create donated data pool to help those in need.

Outcome:

While the year started very well with a big national databank announcement from VM/o2 in the UK, we did not see many other big launches. Perhaps the global financial outlook hampered this a little?

What did happen were a number of sterling efforts to help safeguard children, from Orange Belgium launching the “Orange Mobile Child” plans, to EE in the UK once again showing they are at the forefront of the trends by doing likewise.

4. Self-Care Apps Becoming Integrated ShopFronts | 🟥MISS

Prediction:

Self-Care apps will become digital shopfronts, with account management, product discovery, personalized recommendations, and AI-driven chat support.

Outcome:

Maybe I was early on this. The app experience is still clunky, and not enough volume is being driven by digital channels to justify the continued investment.

Most telcos have the goal of “one cart” across multiple channels, and some are doing this now with retail, e-commerce and self-care all sharing multiple integrations and enabling the transaction to happen flexibly.

Maybe 2026 is the year that more telcos will invest here?

5. The Death of IVR Loops | 🟥MISS

Prediction:

Call centres will direct callers using AI language bots instead of clunky Interactive Voice Response menus.

Outcome:

How could this happen. Aaaarrrgggghhhhh. Despite the roaring success of AI, so many companies are still using legacy IVR loop tech and driving their customers mad in the process.

🙏🏽Pray that these awful things disappear in 2026 - please, please, please!

6. b2b Crossover in Retail Spaces | 🟩HIT

Prediction:

Retail stores will double as consultation centres for B2B customers.

Outcome:

This concept has made a resurgence in 2025, with a number of great B2B areas coming to the fore, not least Deutsche Telekom in Germany with their business zone. More and more telcos are realizing the power of retail footfall is huge, and by making every single square meter of the space work hard to deliver revenue, you can deliver great SME and B2B growth in a retail setting.

More of this in 2026 please.

7. An M&A Wave Reshapes the Landscape | 🟩HIT

Prediction:

Mergers and acquisitions will surge, resulting in a concentrated industry shaped by bigger players.

Outcome:

NEC buying CSGi to have them swallow Netcracker? MEGA MERGER!

Optiva finally getting a new home with Qvantel?

The mergers continued in a big way among vendors.  In the carrier space, it was the usual swapping out of certain territories, with Telefonica exiting most of Latin America while keeping Brazil as one of their core global OpCos.

With 2026 rumored to be a very difficult year in the financial markets, expect this trend to continue as the ‘haves’ continue to swallow the ‘have-nots’.

8. AI’s Meteoric Rise - With Some Speed Bumps | 🟨PARTIAL HIT

Prediction:

AI systems will become commonplace – as will high profile errors and compliance missteps.

Outcome:

Meteoric rise? Yes.

Speed bumps? Not quite yet.

Give this one time – I guarantee there will be pushback the first time something goes badly wrong under the stewardship of AI.

Watch this space.

9. Satellite Connectivity Fills The Gaps | 🟩HIT

Predictions:

Telcos will forge alliances with space-based networks to ensure service coverage across poorly served areas.

Outcome:

There have been partnerships galore! One New Zealand and T-Mobile are now working with Starlink. Various providers, including AT&T and Vodafone, are working with AST Space Mobile - this one is growing fast!

Expect this trend to continue for the next 5 years. Telcos need a very careful strategy here as the new battle is between masts-on-land and masts-in-space. Which one gives the biggest ROI?

10. The Training & Upskilling Explosion | 🟥MISS

Prediction:

Telcos will go all-in on training, including staff upskilling, and doubling down on how-to content for customers.

Outcome:

This is a topic near and dear to my heart, so the lack of progress here is massively disappointing. I truly believe this will be a great differentiator for those who invest.

My prediction for 2026?

“Soft skills are the new gold”.

While some savvy operators have latched onto innovative new material (such as our own “Showtime” program) and driven great sales and experience increases, others have just put their head in the sand and IGNORED this opportunity.

The market will decide. Once the increases are within reach of all the operators, and they understand how to execute, the pendulum here will shift - mark my words.

My Report Card & Wrap Up

The final scores are in!

• 🟩 Hit = 4
• 🟨 Partial Hit = 3
• 🟥 Miss = 3

Shall we call that 7/10 or maybe 5.5? Haha. Doesn’t matter.

What matters is that our industry continues to move forward and avoids being the utility that some carriers are sleepwalking into.

With some of the coolest tech products around using our services, we should be at the forefront of the tech relationship with our customers. Some telcos are moving that way and understand the profitability that can follow. Others are desperately trying - and I salute you all.

The rest of you - get your act together!

Roll on 2026!

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