Building What Comes Next: How Service Providers Are Becoming Technology Leaders

Randall René, MBA
Oct 27
6 min read

Updated: Oct 28

When I started in this industry, telecom was still seen as a service business. We built networks, connected homes, and delivered what people needed to communicate. The work was technical, demanding, and incredibly rewarding, but it was also predictable. Every company looked at growth through the same lens: expand coverage, maintain uptime, and keep customers connected. That world has changed.

What used to define success no longer defines leadership. Today’s networks are no longer just conduits for communication. They are digital ecosystems that power entire economies. Telecom companies are transforming into technology companies, not because it sounds good in marketing, but because the market demands it. The pressures are real: compete with new digital entrants, adapt to AI-driven operations, and build trust in a world where transparency, speed, and accountability matter more than ever.

A smiling shopkeeper stands behind a small, colorful store counter as a man uses his smartphone to make a digital payment while his wife and daughter look on. The scene represents how mobile connectivity and digital payments are reshaping daily transactions in communities. — A local shopkeeper helps a family as they pay for their purchase using a mobile phone — a snapshot of how digital connectivity is transforming everyday life.

I have seen this shift unfold firsthand. In boardrooms, on construction sites, and in planning meetings, I’ve watched companies realize that being a “service provider” is no longer enough. Investors want agility, not just access. Regulators want stewardship and transparency, not excuses. Customers expect digital experiences that empower their lives, not problematic connections. The only way forward is to lead like a technology company, as one that moves with intention, measures with data, and builds with purpose.

Reinvention of Service Providers

The era of reinvention has already begun. Over the past few years I have worked with providers who once defined their identity by the miles of fiber they built or the number of subscribers they served. Now they talk about platforms, ecosystems, and digital capabilities. This change is not about abandoning infrastructure; it is about reimagining what that infrastructure enables society to do.

When I think about companies like T-Mobile, AT&T, or Lumen, I see organizations that are no longer content with being labeled as telecom. They want to be seen as digital innovators, capable of moving as fast as the technology they rely on. That is the future of this industry. PwC and Deloitte have both highlighted that the telecom business model built on connectivity alone is unsustainable. Growth will come from platforms that blend physical and digital services—platforms that can host cloud applications, manage edge computing, and deliver seamless customer experiences across every touchpoint.

I have experienced this firsthand while working with operators who once struggled to keep pace with technology cycles. The turning point always came when leadership decided to stop managing networks as assets and started managing them as enablers. That change in mindset is the foundation of transformation. It requires rethinking how value is created and who participates in delivering it.

True reinvention starts when leaders ask a different set of questions. Instead of “What can we sell?” they begin asking “What can we enable?” That shift moves telecom from pipes to purpose, from connections to capability.

Technology Adoption That Matters

Technology only matters when it changes how people work. Over the years, I have seen countless software demos that promised efficiency but failed to address the human side of transformation. The companies that succeed are the ones that pair technology adoption with clarity, alignment, and accountability.

AI, automation, and cloud-native networks are no longer just futuristic dreams, they have quickly become foundational to everything we will do. During my time at Esri, I saw providers working integrate AI methodologies to predict service disruptions, identify underserved communities, and automate network maintenance. Cloud-based platforms allowed teams to share data in real time and make decisions that once took days in just a few minutes. What began as experimentation quickly became necessity.

A person sits at a laptop holding a glowing lightbulb with a digital AI circuit design inside it, symbolizing innovation, artificial intelligence, and the integration of technology into modern business decisions. — Technology adoption isn’t about the tools themselves — it’s about how leaders use them to create clarity, intelligence, and real value.

For instance, Invoca and TragoFone have both pointed out that cloud-native networks and open RAN deployments are moving from trials to operational reality. Telecom organizations that fail to adapt risk being left behind not because of technology limitations, but because of leadership inertia. Modernization is no longer about cost savings; it is about competitiveness.

The companies I admire most are those that recognize technology as a cultural shift, not just a technical one. These organizations work to bring people along as they navigate change, and they train teams to use new tools with confidence. They break down silos so operations, engineering, and customer service all work from the same data. That is how transformation takes root. Technology alone cannot do it; leadership can.

Trust as the New Measure of Leadership

Every transformation comes with uncertainty. I have seen technology projects succeed technically and fail culturally because teams did not trust the systems, the data, or the decision-making process. Trust is now the real measure of leadership.

EY’s research on telecom risk emphasizes that governance, security, and transparency are now top priorities for executives. These issues are not just compliance matters; they are business drivers. Regulators want proof of accountability. Investors want visibility into operations. Customers want assurance that their data and experience are protected.

This is where clarity becomes the foundation of trust. When I worked with executives using GIS to visualize their networks, they finally had a way to see everything, such as assets, customers, risks, and opportunities, in one comprehensive and connected view. This changed the conversation. Instead of reacting to problems, they started predicting them. Instead of debating assumptions, they started collaborating around facts.

Trust does not come from technology alone. It comes from the confidence that leaders build when decisions are made with transparency. A modern GIS platform is not just another mapping tool, it is the foundation of decision-making and an instrument of trust. It connects data to purpose and empowers people for progress. When organizations can see clearly, they can act confidently, and that confidence strengthens every relationship they have.

The Waypoint 33 Perspective

Across the telecom landscape, the companies making the biggest strides are those that have stopped defining themselves by what they build and started defining themselves by what they enable. These organizations no longer see themselves solely as service providers, they see themselves as technology companies. They are rethinking their operating models, building cultures around agility and innovation, and leading with clarity instead of complexity.

These leaders know that clarity is their competitive edge, and they're aligning strategy, people, and technology around shared goals rather than departmental metrics. They treat digital transformation as a cultural shift, not a checklist, and they recognize that success depends on connecting every part of the business. Whether is engineering, construction, operations, finance, marketing, or regulatory compliance, all teams prosper through a unified source of truth.

A diverse group of professionals sit around a conference table reviewing data charts displayed on a large screen during a strategy meeting. The image represents how leaders use data and collaboration to align people, process, and technology in modern organizations. — *Leaders collaborate around data and insights to align strategy, people, and technology.*

The companies that thrive in this space are using GIS and location intelligence to bridge the gap between physical infrastructure and digital strategy. They move from fragmented data to connected insight, from reactive maintenance to predictive action, and from static systems to adaptive ecosystems that can evolve as quickly as the markets they serve.

This is where Waypoint 33 helps organizations take the next step. We work alongside leaders who are ready to modernize their vision, align their teams, and turn transformation into something tangible. Using GIS as the foundation, we help create clarity across operations, data, and decision-making, thus giving organizations the visibility they need to move forward with confidence.

Our focus isn’t on technology for its own sake, but on helping people lead with purpose. When organizations embrace that mindset, they move faster, think smarter, and build stronger cultures of accountability and trust. The companies that do this well aren’t just keeping up with change, they’re empowering people and defining what comes next.

Closing Thoughts

Telecom is no longer defined by the cables in the ground or the towers on the horizon. It is defined by the intelligence, agility, and trust that turn those assets into consumer opportunity and experiences. The transformation from service provider to technology company is already underway, and the pace will only accelerate.

For leaders, the choice is clear. You can keep operating like the old-school telecom of yesterday who simply sells sells connectivity, or you can build the systems, partnerships, and cultures that define modern technology companies and connect people to what's important in their lives. The organizations that take the latter path will not just adapt to the future, they will build it.

That is what it means to build what comes next.

Take the Next Step

The future of telecom belongs to the organizations that lead with purpose and clarity. If you’re ready to transform how your network operates, visit Waypoint33.com to start the conversation. Together, we can turn today’s complexity into tomorrow’s confidence.