In this episode of Carrier 2.0, host Steve Saunders looks at how carriers are moving beyond AI hype and into execution. Drawing on new research from Fierce Network and interviews with operators and technology leaders, the episode explores what real Carrier 2.0 transformation looks like in practice—culturally, operationally, and economically.

From Brightspeed’s use of AI to improve deployment accuracy and customer experience, to Google Fiber’s focus on lowering cost-to-serve, the discussion shows how carriers are using AI to modernise fundamentals rather than chase novelty. The episode also examines why owning the customer experience end-to-end, monetising AI for customers, and aligning culture with execution will determine which carriers thrive in the decade ahead.

From AI Hype to Execution (00:42) – Why Carrier 2.0 is about disciplined transformation, not chasing headlines.

Modernising the Plumbing (01:39) – Operators prioritise data foundations, orchestration, edge compute, and backbone upgrades before AI ambitions.

AI as a Deployment Engine (02:05) – How Brightspeed uses AI to reduce uncertainty, improve accuracy, and deliver better customer outcomes.

Clean Data, Narrow Use Cases (03:28) – Why successful AI starts with focus, measurable impact, and execution predictability.

Owning the Experience End-to-End (04:00) – Why the carrier’s responsibility no longer stops at the door, but extends to in-home connectivity.

Lowering Cost to Serve (05:19) – Google Fiber’s view on using automation to create room for innovation without raising prices.

Digital Industrialisation (06:10) – Which industries are leading, which are lagging, and what it signals for telecom’s next phase.

The Inflection Point (08:47) – Verizon’s Yago Tenorio on monetising AI for customers as the defining challenge for carriers.

The Carrier 2.0 Playbook (09:39) – Fix foundations first, start small, prove value, then scale—across networks, data, edge, and trust.

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