Business & Technology
Telecom chiefs say AI scaling hampered by skills gaps
HTEC has published a report on AI adoption in the telecommunications sector, finding that only 24.8% of telecom executives believe their organisations can scale AI rapidly.
Based on a survey of 255 C-suite telecom leaders in the US, UK, Germany, Spain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the study identifies skills shortages, fragmented deployments and weak executive alignment as the main barriers to wider adoption.
More than half of operators surveyed, 53%, said they still rely on isolated deployments, pilots or limited use cases. By contrast, 47% said AI is fully embedded across multiple functions.
The findings suggest many operators have embraced AI in principle without building the structures needed to roll it out across networks, IT systems and commercial teams. Almost half of respondents, 47.5%, identified lack of executive alignment as the biggest obstacle to scaling AI.
Technical capability is another pressure point. Almost all respondents, 99%, reported critical skills shortages, with the most acute gaps in cybersecurity and data privacy, AI and machine learning, and data engineering.
According to the survey, those shortages are already affecting performance. Some 46% of leaders said the gaps are driving higher costs, 42% reported margin pressure and 41% said they are reducing innovation.
Timing pressure
The research also points to a narrow window for operators trying to keep pace with the market. Executives said it would take an average of 1.95 years to rebuild competitiveness if they failed to act on AI opportunities, while major AI-related initiatives were estimated to take between 1.6 and 1.8 years.
That overlap suggests little room for delay as operators work through digital transformation plans, edge strategies, workforce changes and new service models. The report argues that the time needed to recover from inaction is roughly the same as the time available to deliver core programmes.
Understanding of AI strategy remains uneven at senior level. HTEC found that 57.7% of telecom leaders fall into moderate, low or very low AI literacy categories, raising questions about whether management teams are equipped to oversee deployment at scale.
Integration is another challenge. Some 45.1% of respondents said they struggle to embed AI into legacy OSS and BSS environments and distributed infrastructure, underlining how older telecom systems continue to complicate technology change.
Edge focus
One area where operators expressed greater confidence was edge AI. The survey found that 93% of telecom leaders are familiar with the concept and 96% said they can deploy it, reflecting the sector’s experience in running distributed infrastructure.
Respondents expect edge AI to improve network reliability, strengthen data privacy and deliver commercial benefits through lower latency and lower costs. Many said they are pursuing hybrid build-and-partner approaches to bring those projects into service.
When asked where AI is most likely to produce measurable returns, executives most often pointed to 5G and 6G network optimisation and dynamic bandwidth allocation, cited by 49.4%. Connectivity and network performance at scale followed at 45.9%, while 42.4% pointed to operational cost reduction through automation.
New revenue models beyond core connectivity were selected by 42% of respondents, while 38.4% identified AI-driven customer experience personalisation as a likely source of returns.
The study forms part of a broader cross-sector research project commissioned by HTEC and conducted by Censuswide. The wider programme gathered responses from 1,529 C-suite leaders across several industries, with the telecom findings published as a sector-specific subset.
Philip Otley, Global Managing Partner, Telecommunications, HTEC, said: “Telcos are slow muscle that think in multi-year investment cycles. The GenAI ecosystem is fast muscle moving at an unprecedented pace. Right now, a race is underway between telcos reaching customers with AI services and companies like OpenAI and Anthropic capturing that same consumer attention. Telcos have the advantage of established customer relationships, trusted identity management, and the ability to deploy AI at the edge. But advantages only count if execution keeps pace. This will be the biggest change most people live through in their lives, with hundreds of trillions of dollars in value at stake. Telcos have a real chance to be part of that. The window to gain or lose plays out in the coming few years.”
Tim Sears, Chief AI Officer, HTEC, added: “The sector is strategically aligned but operationally fragmented. Leaders agree AI matters, but far fewer understand how to scale it. Our data shows the penalty for falling behind and the time needed to catch up are almost identical windows. That leaves operators with no margin for delay.”
Celebrating both GCSE and A-Level Results Days, the chain will offer the popular dish to students who buy one of its bubble teas.
The free offer is available at all 42 Rosa’s Thai restaurants across England and Wales.
To avail of the free noodles, students need to register on Rosa’s Thai website for a unique code, which they should present at the restaurant together with a copy of their results.
Rosa’s Thai has a new range of bubble tea flavours, including Ube-Taro, Matcha-Coconut, Mango Sticky Rice, and Milo Chocolate Milk, as well as favourites like Home-brewed Thai Tea with Tapioca, and Lychee Mango with mango boba.
Students can sign up for their free Pad Thai at rosasthai.com/result-day-free-pad-thai and find their nearest restaurant at rosasthai.com/locations.
The London Mint Office, which distributes commemorative coins and medals, appointed administrators on July 31 after 20 years in business.
The company’s website now displays a message confirming the appointment of Michael Magnay and Jonny Marston of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP as joint administrators.
A spokesman for Alvarez and Marsal said: “On July 31 2026, Michael Magnay and Jonny Marston of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP were appointed as Joint Administrators of The London Mint Office Limited in administration (the “Company”).
“Regrettably, the Company’s liquidity challenges have led to a number of immediate redundancies. We are supporting the affected employees through the redundancy process.
What Happens When a Company Goes Into Administration?
“The affairs, business and property of the Company are being managed by the Joint Administrators who act as agents of the Company and without personal liability.”
The announcement confirms that it is no longer possible to purchase coins or medals through the company’s website.
The London Mint Office operates a distribution centre in Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, where it employs a significant number of people.
Administration is a formal insolvency process triggered when a business cannot meet its financial obligations.
An insolvency practitioner is appointed to manage the company’s affairs and may attempt to restructure the business or sell off assets to repay creditors.
What happens when a company goes into Liquidation?
Founded in 2006, The London Mint Office describes itself as “one of the UK’s most trusted suppliers of historic, commemorative, and collector coins.”
It is part of Samlerhuset AS, a Norwegian company based near Oslo and one of Europe’s largest distributors of commemorative coins and medals.
Samlerhuset’s website states that it offers “provide a wide range of coins from ancient to modern, originating from virtually every country in the world.”
The London Mint Office has advised anyone with an interest in the company’s assets to contact the administrators at INS_THLMOL@alvarezandmarsal.com.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally decided that both discounters should be added to the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010, which currently applies to Asda, Co-op, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.
This order is designed to prevent large grocery retailers from using land agreements to block competitors from opening nearby stores, often through restrictive covenants or exclusivity terms.
Juliette Enser, executive director of competition enforcement and markets at the CMA, said: “We want everyone to have the best choice of supermarket and range of prices when buying their groceries.
“To ensure this happens, we put rules in place to prevent big supermarket chains blocking rival stores from opening nearby – and now we propose applying those rules to Aldi and Lidl too.
“This is about allowing shoppers to choose where they spend their money and levelling the playing field for all major supermarkets.
“Today’s proposals are provisional and we welcome views before deciding the best way forward.”
The CMA’s review found that Aldi, Lidl GB, and Lidl NI now meet the criteria of ‘Large Grocery Retailers’ (LGRs) due to their store footprint, nationwide presence, procurement model, and the breadth of their grocery range.
Aldi and Lidl were originally excluded from the 2010 order as ‘limited assortment discounters’, offering a smaller selection of products compared to traditional supermarkets.
However, the CMA’s provisional findings indicate that this is no longer the case.
All three now operate large grocery stores, each with more than 1,000 square metres of shop floor space, and offer a full range of products, though with less category choice than some competitors.
They also purchase goods directly from suppliers through integrated wholesaling.
With the UK grocery market estimated to be worth £215 billion, Aldi and Lidl are now ranked among the top five retailers by market share.
The CMA is seeking feedback from stakeholders before reaching a final decision.
Aldi and Lidl could join the other supermarket chains later this year.
The CMA is inviting views until 5pm on Monday, September 7, 2026, and will issue its final decision in the autumn after reviewing responses.
If the discounters are included under the order, they will be prevented from using land agreements to limit competition from other supermarket chains.
The CMA aims to ensure competition across the grocery sector to give shoppers more choice and competitive pricing by removing obstacles to new store openings.
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoHSBC UK & Visa test AI shopping with live payments
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoValarian lands USD $50 million backing for sovereign AI
-
Oxford Events4 weeks agoHenley Festival 2026 highlights: Five nights of unforgettable performances and festival moments
-
Oxford united FC3 weeks agoOxford United three players who be kept after transfer ban
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoZYMIX uses Henley event to pitch social app to Gen Z
-
Business & Technology2 weeks agoSlice golf bar swings to new heights after successful launch
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoUK AI firms raise record GBP £4.56bn in Q2 funding
-
Oxford News3 weeks agoMan jailed for ‘sickening’ sexual assault of three girls in Cotswolds