A global Cloudera study finds that infrastructure and governance shortfalls are holding back AI strategies at telecom companies, even though most executives report having a clear data strategy in place.
A new study by Cloudera points to significant gaps in data access and data management among telecommunications companies. The “Telecommunications Data Readiness Index 2026” was commissioned by Cloudera and conducted by Researchscape. The survey covered 191 IT executives from the telecommunications sector, drawn from a global sample of 1,270 IT executives at companies with more than 1,000 employees across the AMER, EMEA and APAC regions. Fieldwork ran from January 22 to March 3, 2026.
According to the study, 90 percent of surveyed executives report that infrastructure performance issues have limited their operational goals. At the same time, the findings reveal a contradiction in how companies perceive their own data environments: 89 percent say they have full visibility into where their data is stored. Yet 60 percent acknowledge that they cannot access the data actually required for their strategic initiatives.
This discrepancy is compounded by governance shortfalls. Only 33 percent of companies report having fully managed data. Nearly a quarter of respondents, 22 percent, say data quality issues have led to low returns on their AI and analytics initiatives.
The context: according to Cloudera, the global rollout of 5G networks and the shift toward software-defined networks are generating vast volumes of network and user data. Artificial intelligence is seen across the industry as a central tool for optimizing networks and unlocking new revenue streams. The study suggests, however, that many companies are not yet organizationally equipped to make full use of these data volumes.
Despite these obstacles, the study identifies a foundation for strategic progress. 91 percent of surveyed companies report having a clearly defined data strategy aligned with overarching business goals. 93 percent of respondents also say leadership has made building the infrastructure required for large-scale AI deployment a priority.
Athul Prasad, Global Director, AI Industry Solutions, Telecoms, Media & Entertainment at Cloudera, commented on the findings, saying the central challenge for telecommunications companies is replacing perceived capability with consistent, practical execution. Network data is immense in scope and often constrained by regulatory requirements, he noted, making a full migration to the public cloud impractical and costly. Companies seeking to capture the value of AI, he added, need to bring it directly to the data.
Against this backdrop, Cloudera recommends that telecommunications companies build unified, trusted data ecosystems capable of supporting real-time analytics at scale. Further insights from the Data Readiness Index 2026 are expected to be presented at the DTW Ignite conference, taking place June 23-25 in Copenhagen.
Dr. Jakob Jung is Editor-in-Chief of Security Storage and Channel Germany. He has been working in IT journalism for more than 20 years. His career includes Computer Reseller News, Heise Resale, Informationweek, Techtarget (storage and data center) and ChannelBiz. He also freelances for numerous IT publications, including Computerwoche, Channelpartner, IT-Business, Storage-Insider and ZDnet. His main topics are channel, storage, security, data center, ERP and CRM.
Contact via Mail: jakob.jung@security-storage-und-channel-germany.de