What’s up with… TM Forum, Etisalat, telco capex

• TM Forum launches industry benchmark for autonomous network agents
• Etisalat is back as e& returns to old name 
• Global telco capex spend “unexpectedly” up 5% year on year

In today’s industry news roundup: TM Forum teams up with Accenture to launch a benchmark aimed at boosting trust in autonomous agents in network operations; after four years as e&, the Emirati telco brings the Etisalat brand back to life; Dell’Oro Group’s latest study finds global capex is up 5% year on year, despite expectations investments would drop in 2026; and much more!

The TM Forum has partnered with Accenture  to launch a new industry benchmark aimed at certifying trusted AI. The aim is to “help the telecom industry to deploy autonomous operations with verifiable evidence that agent-to-agent interactions and decisions are trustworthy and can deliver business outcomes at scale,” noted the forum. The move comes at a time when the trustworthiness of frontier AI models is being called into question due to multiple instances of unexpected and insecure behaviour: Recent reports claim AI agents have hacked a number of institutions and companies, despite safeguards put in place by AI giants such as OpenAI and Anthropic. Just this week, OpenAI apologised to the Australian government after a rogue AI model hacked some of its systems. As usage of models grows, and telcos look at how to introduce more AI and automation into their networks, they are under “exceptional pressure to demonstrate business results”, which means “trust is becoming the pre-requisite for delegating decisions and actions to autonomous systems”, the TM Forum noted in its announcement. The industry body has worked with Accenture to develop its Trustworthy AI Governance Certification, which it claims will provide a practical measure of the maturity, workforce readiness and operational accountability needed to confidently scale AI and autonomy. “Trust enables autonomy to scale, but trustworthiness only becomes operational when every principle is supported by continuous, verifiable evidence. This programme gives the industry a common blueprint to turn trust from a promise into a measurable capability. TM Forum brings the industry together to define the standards, while Accenture brings the experience of putting them into practice. Together, we’re creating the foundation for the autonomous enterprise,” stated Guy Lupo, EVP of trustworthy AI and data at TM Forum. As part of the initiative, CSPs will be able to: Measure trust consistently and reduce complexity with a common framework; accelerate AI adoption through best-practice guidance; benchmark trust maturity and expose critical gaps using AI trust level validations; and build enterprise-wide capability and workforce readiness through training and certification. CSPs, vendors, hyperscalers, consultancies and the wider ecosystem will collaborate to co-create code-first solutions through TM Forum’s AI-Native Collaboration Studios, the industry body added.

Just four years after changing its name to reflect a more international, digital services-led strategy, Middle Eastern powerhouse e& has changed its name back to its original Etisalat Group. To commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based company announced that Etisalat “is the name we are taking forward – a name that reflects our heritage, our strategy and our ambition for the AI era. Our strategy is built on that foundation: Connecting people, enabling businesses and developing the infrastructure that makes intelligent systems possible. Etisalat means connection. For 50 years, that purpose has guided what we build and the role we play. Today, it carries even greater significance as we bring connectivity, digital capabilities and infrastructure together to enable new opportunities.” 

Using its new/old name, Etisalat also announced that it has launched a project to expand the capacity of its international digital infrastructure connections to more than 500 Tbit/s by 2030, more than 25 times the current capacity. The aim is to enhance the country’s “readiness for the increasing demands of AI and strengthen its position on the global digital stage” by “developing diverse routes designed to enhance connectivity efficiency and reliability”, noted Etisalat in this announcement. 

Global telecom capital expenditure (capex) investments during the first half of 2026 increased by an unexpected 5% compared with the same period a year earlier, according to research firm Dell’Oro Group (though it didn’t specify any financial figures). The Dell’Oro team had previously expected 2026 capex numbers to decline year on year. But this isn’t the start of a golden period of capex rises, noted Dell’Oro VP Stefan Pongratz. “The first half was stronger than we expected, but the improving near-term trajectory does not materially change the longer-term capex story,” he noted. “Operators are in a stronger capacity position following the 5G and fibre investment cycles, and the focus is gradually shifting from coverage towards capacity, modernisation, automation and efficiency. At the same time, improving operator revenues are helping to reduce capital intensity ratios even as network investments remain flat.” Dell’Oro expects worldwide telecom capex to grow at a 0% to 1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2025 and 2030, “reflecting a more mature investment environment following the major 5G and fibre coverage cycles”. Meanwhile, average telco capital intensity – the proportion of revenues that network operators spend on capex – is set to decline from its peak of 18% in 2022 to around 14% by 2028 before “increasing modestly as early 6G investment emerges”. 

There’s a lot of excitement about the potential of smart (AI-enabled) glasses right now but also many privacy concerns, and these have resulted in the Norwegian government proposing a temporary ban on their use in some places, reports the Associated Press (AP). According to the AP, the Norwegian authorities have identified a number of places where “privacy is particularly important,” such as “healthcare facilities, or fitness centres with changing rooms and showers. A major focus is spaces where children congregate, such as schools, kindergartens, playgrounds and youth clubs,” it added. The news comes days after California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, vetoed legislation that would have penalised Californians for using smart glasses to record people without their permission in changing rooms, doctor’s offices and other spaces people generally consider private, stating in his explanation that the proposed bill’s definition of a wearable recording device was too broad.

Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has been on a bit of a customer service drive over the past year, but any fears that the UK telco would be switching out its customer services for AI agents should be put aside - or at least dampened - after it announced the creation of a new dedicated customer hub to handle repeat calls in a bid to boost first-time resolution for customers. The customer hub, which will be located at its office in Newcastle in the north-east of England, will comprise 150 agents dedicated to handling queries from repeat callers. It will offer tailored support in an effort to tackle complex issues through greater continuity and ownership. The announcement comes just a week after one of VMO2’s parent companies, Liberty Global, announced a partnership with Sierra to support the rollout of its conversational AI platform developer’s technology across Liberty Global’s operations in Europe – including the UK. Indeed, VMO2 made its own announcement explaining it would use Sierra to support calls from customers experiencing faults with their broadband service in a move that would free up human agents to focus on more complex cases. Only hours after that announcement, UK regulator Ofcom published new research that shows while people and small businesses are using AI to navigate phone, broadband and pay-TV markets, they have mixed views about it. This all follows an announcement back in February 2025 in which VMO2 unveiled plans to turn the company’s customer services around. Since then, it claims to have reduced complaints by more than 50% year on year and lowered the number of call transfers by 1.3 million in 2025, saving customers more than 400,000 hours of time chatting to VMO2 staff.

Canadian telco Telus and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite operator AST SpaceMobile, which is set to compete with Starlink Mobile (and others) in the direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity sector, “have successfully completed their first integration test between Telus’s wireless network and AST SpaceMobile’s space-based network, marking a significant milestone in the ability to access broadband data services, make voice calls, and send text messages directly between smartphones and satellites,” the company announced. Telus CTO Nazim Benhadid noted: “Connecting smartphones directly to satellites is opening up new possibilities for how Canadians stay connected. This successful milestone with AST SpaceMobile is a major step forward in extending cellular coverage to places where service isn’t available today, reinforcing our commitment to bringing reliable service to more Canadians, no matter where they are.” Telus expects to launch a D2D service to its customers within the next year. Bell Canada is also working with AST SpaceMobile for its D2D service launch, while Rogers Communications is a step ahead of its Canadian telco rivals, having already launched its service, Rogers Satellite, in partnership with Starlink Mobile. 

KT Corp-owned international network operator Epsilon Telecommunications has partnered with global communications infrastructure services specialist Megaport to expand its network footprint in North America. The partnership means Epsilon’s customers will now be able to access Megaport’s compute, network and storage capabilities across the US and Canada. Singapore-based Epsilon will leverage Megaport’s automated infrastructure platform to increase its reach in core connectivity markets, such as Ashburn (Virginia), Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey and Toronto. In an announcement distributed to the media, the two companies said the partnership enables high-performance, on-demand connectivity across their respective software-defined networks, addressing growing demand for flexible, low-latency connectivity in the region from businesses across Europe, Asia-Pacific and other global markets. “North America is a key market for our customers, with growing demand for high-performance access to cloud, datacentre and digital infrastructure across the region,” said Warren Aw, chief commercial officer at Epsilon. “By partnering with Megaport, we’re simplifying how our customers can connect and accelerate their growth in the United States and Canada.”

Global critical digital infrastructure provider Hayo is the latest firm to sign up to the Linux Foundation’s Camara Project, which aims to accelerate API adoption across telcos and enterprises. Hayo, which designs, builds and runs critical infrastructure for governments and telecom operators, will also join the Linux Foundation as it looks to capitalise on the growing demand for network APIs: According to research firm IDC, the value of the global network API sector is set to grow from $1.5bn in 2025 to $6.9bn by 2029. Hayo will join the foundation as both a Camara consultant and infrastructure partner, working with mobile network operators, hyperscalers, communications platform-as-a-service (CPaaS) providers, aggregators and enterprises. “Network APIs are quickly becoming one of the most important foundations for the next generation of digital services, and operators have a vital role to play in digital identity, fraud prevention and customer trust,” stated Hayo’s CEO, Feraz Ahmed. “Joining the Linux Foundation and becoming a Camara member reflects our long-term commitment to open standards, interoperability and collaboration across the industry. Operators should be able to participate in the network API economy no matter their size or geography, and we are committed to making that possible,” he added. Launched in 2021, the Camara project has around 430 members, according to the Linux Foundation, and over 1,250 contributors. It works closely with GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative to standardise telecom network capabilities into developer-friendly web APIs.

– The staff, TelecomTV