Security tops 2026 telecom investment areas, survey finds

Respondents to a survey identify security as the top investment priority area for 2026, according to the Telecoms.com Intelligence Annual Industry Survey 2025 report which included participants from a host of company types, such as Communication Service Providers (CSPs), vendors, and System Integrators (SIs)/consultancies. 

The report notes that “security has gained momentum as an investment area compared to last year” when Telecoms.com Intelligence ran its annual survey for 2024. This, it says, “is reflective of today’s security environment in telecoms and beyond. Increasing cybersecurity attacks globally, including denial of service (DDoS attacks), malware, service delivery attacks, and threats aiming to breach privacy and exfiltrate data, are driving organisations to tighten their focus on cyberthreats, making this not only a likely priority area but hopefully an urgent one.”

While security is also a priority investment area and only second to 5G standalone deployments for CSPs, according to disaggregated data by company type, the report also uncovers a mixed bag of a dozen of other priority investment areas for operators. Chief among these are digital transformation and Broadband. The former can encompass a multitude of technologies including all types of AI solutions that promise network optimisation, customer experience enhancement, and the innovation of new services. But the mixed bag likely is an indication that CSP investment pots could be stretched thin in the upcoming year.

As the report delves deeper into specific topics, network APIs and AI, security continues to pop up as a theme. Security/privacy establishes itself as the biggest concern when it comes to network APIs and similarly, privacy/data security pops up again when the report looks at concerns with AI systems in telecoms. 

In network APIs, with organisations hosting thousands of own and third-party APIs these days, as well as taking the wider cybersecurity landscape in this hyper digital world into consideration, these concerns are a healthy view. 

A host of operators have already experienced the consequences of security and data breaches, with the most prominent cases mentioned by the report being Australian telco Optus and T-Mobile US. The latter has had security investments imposed on I the organisation as part of one of its recent settlements. It is as such prudent to prioritise and proactively address security concerns ahead of any breaches. So, it is great to see that the industry is prioritising investment plans, as per above, on security.

Further, with AI systems harvesting large volumes of data to train their models, including the use of sensitive information, the safety and ethicality of these systems is often called into question. 

“Using AI systems ethically, securely, and fairly seems to be a challenging balancing act.” says the report. “On the one hand it is imperative to ensure data use is ethical, unbiased, and safe for those whose data is being used, whether they want it or understand the consequences of data shared or not. On the other hand, many corporations fear ethical AI will lead to a slowdown of their advancements. The question we pose to AI organisations, especially Big Tech firms pursuing their own models, is whether winning the race means the rest of us, and our data/privacy are simply collateral damage.”

Sticking with AI, overreliance on the technology is another key concern raised by the findings. This very valid and real worry is also reportedly backed up by research that claims our brain connectivity systematically scales down the more we use AI tools and services. While industrial and technological advancements are necessary and have shaped the progress of our societies in the past, no previous advancements have threatened the erosion of collective intellectual knowledge to this level.