The Role of AI in Mobile Monetization

This IDC Market Perspective explores how AI and data are reshaping the monetization and operational strategies of communications service providers (CSPs) in the 5G era. With traditional subscription-based models under pressure, CSPs must pivot toward value-centric approaches, where revenue emerges from tailored services, outcome-based offerings, and operational intelligence. This document highlights the strategic imperative for modernizing IT and operations, adopting platform-centric architectures, and embedding AI across the service life cycle, from network automation and customer profiling to intent-based orchestration and SLA assurance.This document also stresses that AI must not remain isolated in technical teams but become an organizational capability supported by cultural change, talent alignment, and governance evolution. The shift requires fast, iterative experimentation, intelligent use of data from networks and users, and the ability to act on insights at scale."The most important step for CSPs is to stop treating AI as a tool and start treating it as a strategy," said Alejandro Cadenas, associate vice president of Telco Research at IDC Europe. "Operators that integrate AI into their business models - not just to improve operations but to unlock new monetization pathways through data, automation, and differentiated services - will be the ones to lead the industry's transformation."