The latest report from GlobalData;
Telcos searching to expand sales avenues are discovering evolving channel opportunities in cloud marketplaces, which align with their AI strategies to streamline delivery of network services to enterprises. Factors ranging from agentic AI-driven product procurement to improved productization of infrastructure services are positioning the online storefronts as a prime route to sales growth, according to GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.
Cloud marketplaces have evolved to include joint technology and reseller partnerships, significantly expanding the types of solutions available to enterprises seeking new avenues for acquiring technology and integration services. Google reports that the value of third-party marketplace deals sold through channel partners grew 170% in 2024. For telecom operators, hyperscaler marketplaces represent a lucrative but still underused channel for their services.
GlobalData’s report, “Cloud Marketplaces: Telcos Seize Opportunity to Diversify Sales through Hyperscaler Platforms, but will Buyers be Receptive?,” reveals agentic AI innovations are appearing across marketplaces, supporting conversational discovery experiences for software procurement, significant for their role in broadening the audience of buyers who can merely describe goals or technical problems to be solved.
Charlotte Dunlap, Research Director, Enterprise Technology & Services at GlobalData, comments: “Thanks to open-source software, carrier solutions can now be listed on marketplaces, alongside software and services including standardized APIs (enabled through MCPs, GSMA Open Gateway, and CAMARA) for streamlined connectivity. Networks, e.g., networks-as-code, are evolving and becoming more consumable and programmable via enterprise agents, with no complex coding or integration required by enterprises.
“Telcos excel in marketplaces in a number of additional areas including winning private wireless deals, reselling software and platform services, and offering enterprise customers valuable consulting and integration services.”
Amy Larsen DeCarlo, Principal Analyst, Enterprise Technology & Services at GlobalData, comments: “Through established relationships with long-time enterprise clients, telcos bring a trusted partner status. The largest telcos offer the unique combination of an expansive physical footprint alongside an extensive localized sales and support presence. Telecom providers also have the assets to support low-latency edge solutions, particularly important for AI-driven applications.”
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