Telco has a context problem

Every telco exec at MWC is talking about agentic AI. But nobody’s asking what those agents actually need to work. It’s not more data; it’s better CONTEXT.

This week on Telco in 20, I sit down with John Abraham, Partner and Principal Analyst at Appledore Research, to dig into why a lack of context is keeping operators from scaling AI—and what it actually takes to solve this.

We unpack why agents without context just become a new generation of silos, how an ontology gives AI the foundation it needs to move from insight to action, and why building this layer today finally unlocks AI for your telco.

If your AI pilots aren’t scaling, this episode tells you why. Listen now.

Skip around and catch key moments in the conversation:

• The three Cs holding telcos back from using AI at scale [04:42];
• Why AI agents risk creating a new generation of silos [08:59];
• How a small use case can unlock compounding AI value [14:13]; and
• Why a data lake is a costly side quest [15:09].

John nailed it: without context, your agents are flying blind.

The Totogi Ontology gives operators what’s been missing. It captures your rules, logic, and the knowledge that lives in people’s heads and vendor code—and makes them executable. This means your AI doesn’t just analyze data, it understands which actions are valid and applies them correctly across your stack. That’s what moves isolated pilots to production at scale.

Take a Tier-1 operator in the Middle East. It started with dormant cells—a million-dollar revenue problem. With the ontology in place, AI didn’t just flag the issue. It knew what was permitted and took action. No tickets. No cross-team coordination.

The operator kept adding use cases to the same foundation, compounding its value. Today, that same ontology informs CXO-level decisions worth tens of millions. More connected systems → richer ontology → stronger AI → more decisions implemented.

This isn’t a data lake. It’s not another integration layer. It’s the executable foundation for operational AI—and the intelligence it captures is yours, not locked inside your vendor’s code.

Ready to make context your competitive advantage? Come find us at MWC26 in Hall 2, Booth 2G51, or book a demo. 👉

With over 16 years of experience in the telecom industry, John leads Appledore’s Digital Enablement & Monetization program. Previously, he was at Analysys Mason for 11 years, where he led the digital experience research segment as principal analyst. He has experience working with a varied client base on topics ranging from digitization benchmarking and procurement for CSPs; strategy and go-to market for vendors; and commercial and technical due diligence for financial institutions. Earlier, as a consultant at a BSS vendor, he led requirements gathering, solution definition, and implementation at multiple Tier-1 telcos in Asia and Europe. John holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Anna University (India) and an MBA from Bradford University School of Management (UK).