In the latest episode of our “Clarity in Credit” podcast series, Aarti Magan, Senior Vice President, Corporate Ratings, and Eric Chan, Vice President, Global Non-Bank Financial Institutions, discuss the growing role of telecom operators in the AI ecosystem with Scott Rattee, Senior Vice President and Sector Lead, Corporate Ratings. 

In this episode, we examine how telecom providers are evolving beyond their traditional role as connectivity providers to become critical enablers of AI infrastructure, data movement, edge computing, and AI-powered services. We also explore the emerging revenue opportunities associated with data center growth and enterprise AI solutions, investment requirements, and credit considerations associated with participating in this rapidly developing ecosystem.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• Telecom operators are evolving beyond connectivity providers to become key enablers of AI infrastructure, data movement, edge computing, and AI-powered services.
• Global data center capacity is expected to grow to approximately 200 gigawatts by 2030, driven by rising AI and cloud-computing demand.
• Facility-based telecom operators are well positioned to capitalize on both data center expansion and enterprise AI solutions given their network expertise and customer relationships.
• While AI-related investments may pressure credit metrics in the near term, successful execution could enhance competitive positioning, support earnings growth, and be credit positive over the longer term.

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