Cloudera, the only company bringing AI to data anywhere, today announced telecommunications findings from its latest research, The Data Readiness Index 2026. The Index reveals that foundational gaps in data accessibility, performance, and governance are undermining telecommunication digital transformation efforts.
Key findings in the Index highlight a critical need for the industry to double down on a Private AI in the Network strategy to close these gaps and unlock competitive advantage.
The worldwide deployment of 5G and the shift toward software-defined networking are generating massive volumes of network and user data, making AI essential for network optimization and identifying new revenue opportunities. However, research indicates a notable gap in the industry's readiness to leverage these advancements.
While 90% of telco leaders report that infrastructure performance issues have restricted their operational goals, a deeper contradiction exists within their data ecosystems. Although 89% believe they have full visibility into where their data resides, 60% admit they cannot actually access the data required for their strategic initiatives. This disconnect is further compounded by governance gaps, with only 33% of organizations maintaining fully governed data, and nearly one-quarter of respondents (22%) indicated that data quality issues have led to poor return on investment for AI and analytics initiatives.
Despite these significant barriers, there is a strong foundation of strategic alignment within telecommunications providers. An overwhelming 91% of organizations have established a clearly defined data strategy that supports their broader business objectives. Crucially, this vision is backed by senior leadership, with 93% of respondents stating that their executives prioritize the infrastructure necessary to enable AI at scale, signaling a readiness to overcome current accessibility hurdles.
“The fundamental challenge for telcos is moving beyond perceived capability to consistent, real-world execution,” said Athul Prasad, Global Director, AI Industry Solutions Telecoms, Media & Entertainment at Cloudera. “Network data is immense in scale and often constrained by regulation, making it impractical and too expensive to move every fragment to the public cloud. To truly maximize AI value, telcos must bring AI directly to the data.”
To fully realize the value of AI, Cloudera advises that telecommunications companies must move toward unified, trusted data ecosystems that can support real-time intelligence at scale, viewing data readiness as the defining factor for competitive advantage.
To learn more about The Data Readiness Index 2026 and how telecommunications providers can scale trusted AI across hybrid environments, visit Cloudera.com or meet with us at DTW Ignite in Copenhagen on June 23-25 to learn how organizations are bringing AI to data anywhere across hybrid and multicloud environments.
