• Deutsche Telekom, e&, Singtel, SK Telecom and Softbank team up to launch Syntelligence AI
• The new venture is developing AI tools to tackle telco problems related to spam calls and customer service experience
• Former Meta and Amazon executive Prateek Choudhary has been named CEO

A new venture backed by five of the world’s leading telecom operators is looking to build AI models and applications that will transform network intelligence and boost customer experiences.

Syntelligence AI is a joint venture backed by SK Telekom, Singtel, Softbank, Deutsche Telekom and e&, and led by former Meta and Amazon executive Prateek Choudhary. Those telcos are the founders of the Global Telco AI Alliance (GTAA), which was initially set up in 2024 to develop telco-specific large language models (LLMs), but this appears to be the group’s first meaningful step.

The UK-based company officially launched at the end of 2025 and was backed by $37.5m in funding, according to this Singtel note to investors and this LinkedIn post.

Singtel noted in a filing that a subsidiary, Singtel AI Alliance, had subscribed for 7.5 million shares – equivalent to a 20% stake – in Syntelligence AI, with a capital value of $37.5m, suggesting each partner has invested around $7.5m into the project.

It added: “This partnership unites five major global telcos, potentially accelerating Singtel’s AI capabilities and opening access to cross-market innovations. AI is a key growth area, and early leadership in telco-specific AI could provide a competitive edge and long-term earnings growth.”

Syntelligence says its mission is to build “cutting-edge models and applications that elevate network intelligence, enhance customer experiences, restore trust and drive operational efficiency for operators around the world.”

Choudhary has been named CEO. He was formerly head of product, content understanding and AI at Facebook from 2020 until 2024, having joined from Amazon, where he was global head of product for Prime Video distribution.

Deutsche Telekom’s VP of its AI Competence Center, Jan Hofmann, was named interim CEO prior to Choudhary’s appointment, and is listed as a member of the Syntelligence board.

Suk-Geun Chung, who is SK Telecom’s CTO and head of its AI unit, Softbank CISO (chief information security officer) Tadashi Iida, e& Group chief strategy officer Harrison Lung, and Singtel Group CIO William Woo are all listed as directors on Companies House.

Despite launching last year, Syntelligence has released little information about its projects or plans, noting in its official launch announcement that “specific details of the initial product rollout will be provided in the near future.” 

The company says it will “accelerate AI innovation in the telecommunications industry, addressing issues such as declining user trust in calls from unknown numbers and the effective screening of spam callers,” and that it is “developing products to be rolled out at the network level, trained on billions of call patterns and data.” That data will come from training datasets made available by its five founding telcos. 

This ties in with the description on its website of a product in development called Security Shield, which uses network data to detect and block scam calls before they reach people. Syntelligence already claims this is “the world’s most powerful scam detection system” due to its use of network data. 

Its website also cites another product called Welcome Manager, which is an AI-powered voice assistant that greets, guides and supports customers with natural, human-like interactions.

Commenting on the company’s official launch, Choudhary noted: “The telecommunications industry is entering a new phase in user experience and operational efficiency, enabled by rapid advances in AI. It’s a significant moment which offers telecom companies a real opportunity to shape what comes next. Building AI-powered services that strengthen their role will deepen customer value and set a new standard for network experience for years to come.”

SKT’s Suk-Geun Chung stated: “The launch of Syntelligence AI marks a meaningful step forward in the Global Telco AI Alliance’s strategic collaboration. We are uniquely positioned to create telco-specific AI applications by combining advanced technologies with deep customer relationships, real-time data, and trusted infrastructure. While still in the early stages, we are working closely to align our vision and define forward-looking features that will enhance the AI experience of subscribers worldwide.”

- James Pearce, Contributing Editor, TelecomTV