Fiber for Breakfast Week 11: AI and the Network Effect —Where Carriers Win Next

Fiber for Breakfast Week 11: AI and the Network Effect —Where Carriers Win Next 

Artificial intelligence isn’t coming — it’s already here. And as it reshapes how businesses operate and consumers interact with technology, networks are being pushed in ways few anticipated. On this week’s Fiber for Breakfast, Gary Bolton sat down with Brian Washburn, Chief Analyst for Telco B2B Solutions at Omdia, to unpack the latest research on AI-driven network traffic and what it means for carriers.  

For the past three years, Washburn and his team have been tracking AI’s impact on network demand across every layer —from enterprise requirements to consumer usage, from upstream video ingestion to downstream delivery. What’s clear: the patterns that once defined traffic growth are shifting. Traditional video consumption drove the last decade of network expansion, but the next wave of growth comes not from the eyes watching screens, but from machines sending data upstream for analysis. 

Consider a modern farm using virtual models to monitor crops, or a warehouse using cameras to track inventory. These applications may only produce small decisions — alerts, analytics, automated responses — but the upstream data required is enormous. Fiber networks, with their symmetrical bandwidth, are well-positioned to handle this shift. Wireless networks, however, will need to rethink spectrum allocation and rebalance upstream demands to keep pace. In other words, the AI age isn’t just adding traffic — it’s changing the rules of the game.  

Beyond the technical shifts, Washburn highlighted where carriers can capture value. Connectivity remains king, but strategic expansion into AI-adjacent services — private network support for hyperscalers, hosting edge computing facilities near power sources, and partnering with system integrators to help enterprises adopt AI — offers additional revenue opportunities. It’s a lesson carriers already learned from the video boom: transporting traffic is necessary, but without thoughtful strategy, it’s easy to give away value.  

The conversation painted a clear picture: the world of networks is entering a period of rapid evolution, and carriers must adapt to the new demands AI brings. The opportunity is vast, but so is the risk for those who fail to act strategically. Fiber networks, reliable connectivity, and foresight in upstream capacity planning will define who thrives in the AI area, and who gets left behind.  

The bottom line: AI is a catalyst for network transformation. As Washburn concluded, “The carriers that position themselves now, with both connectivity and AI-ready services, are the ones that will turn this next decade into their most lucrative yet.”  

Click here to watch the full interview. 

Click here to view the slides.