Getting AI Voice in every call is a significant opportunity for telecoms operators. This extract from CPaaSAA’s report AI Voice: Who Will Run The Conversation? focuses on telco-native AI Voice and the emerging concept of embedding AI directly into network-based communications. It follows the previous article on the AI Voice ecosystem. You can download the full report here.
From applications to network-native AI Voice
AI Voice has primarily developed within enterprise platforms. A new model is now emerging: embedding AI directly into telecom networks.
This enables capabilities such as:
- real-time translation
- transcription and assistance
- in-call automation
These services can be invoked dynamically during any call, rather than being limited to specific enterprise applications.
“There is a category-level opportunity for operators to define a new execution environment for communications, particularly where trust, identity, quality of service and sovereignty matter. Trust in this context should be seen as part of the product value proposition, not only as a compliance requirement.” Jonathan Abrahamson, Chief Product and Digital Officer, Deutsche Telekom.
Adnan Saleem, CTO, Radisys says of operator demand: “We’re seeing tremendous demand globally with tier‑one operators. Operators are pushing through to real deployments with serious resources behind them in multiple markets. They’re asking for transcription, summarisation, fraud detection, virtual assistants, and live language translation. These are new, monetisable voice services that go well beyond basic telephony.”
The report illustrates how:
- AI capabilities are triggered within live calls
- Network infrastructure becomes part of execution
- Services operate independently of enterprise applications
This matters because it shifts where AI is executed.
Headline insight: Telco AI Voice moves intelligence from applications into the network itself.
Why this matters
Embedding AI at the network level changes several dynamics:
- access: AI becomes available in all calls
- scale: capabilities can be applied across entire subscriber bases
- control: operators gain influence over execution
It also raises new questions about:
- orchestration
- data ownership
- integration with enterprise systems
Strategic implications
For telecom operators:
- Opportunity to define a trusted execution environment
- Leverage identity, quality and resilience
For CPaaS and platform players:
- Potential disintermediation if orchestration shifts into the network
For enterprises:
- New options for embedding AI into existing communications
What’s next?
This article has explored telco-native AI Voice.
The next article examines AI Voice: How Customers Buy, focusing on enterprise decision-making.
You can download the full report here.
Andrew Collinson
Andrew Collinson is a telecoms and connected technologies expert, specializing in growth strategy, research, and thought leadership. As founder of Connective Insights, he helps clients translate new technologies into viable business models, with a focus on CPaaS, APIs, platform strategies, AI, and network automation.
Before joining CPaaSAA as Associate Research Partner, Andrew was Research and Commercial Director at STL Partners for 15 years, leading a successful research business. He also moderates events, conducts bespoke research, and advises on telecom innovation, stakeholder dynamics, and digital transformation.
Comments are closed