London, February 3, 2026, 15:15 (GMT)
- Google Cloud and Liberty Global agreed a five-year partnership to deploy Gemini AI and cloud tools across Liberty’s European operations
- The deal targets AI-powered TV search, customer-service automation and more autonomous network operations
- The companies will also explore running Google Cloud services in Liberty data centres and selling more Google devices via Liberty brands
Google Cloud and Liberty Global have agreed a five-year strategic partnership to deploy Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence models and other cloud tools across the cable group’s European operations, the companies said on Tuesday. Liberty said the deal will support new consumer services, including AI-powered search and discovery on its Horizon TV platform, as well as customer-service automation. Reuters
The move lands as telecom operators push harder into AI to cut network costs and keep customers from drifting, even as they continue to spend heavily on fibre and 5G.
It also gives Google Cloud, one of Alphabet’s fastest-growing businesses, a wider route into telecom networks and consumer-facing products at a time when cloud firms are trying to turn generative AI into sticky, recurring demand.
Liberty Global said Gemini models are being integrated into Horizon TV to make content search and discovery more conversational, and to help resolve customer issues on the first contact — the goal being to fix a problem in a single interaction. “Our expanded partnership with Google Cloud represents a significant milestone for Liberty Global,” chief executive Mike Fries said. Libertyglobal
The partnership also covers devices and subscriptions. Liberty’s operating companies are expected to offer more Google products, including Pixel phones and watches, along with smart-home devices and services such as YouTube Premium, the companies said.
On the network side, Liberty said the programme aims to improve reliability and security and to move toward more autonomous operations — systems that can spot performance issues and trigger fixes with fewer manual steps. It also flagged “data sovereignty”, a shorthand for keeping sensitive data under local control to meet regulatory and customer requirements.
The companies will explore running some Google Cloud services inside Liberty Global’s data centres to meet demand, and they may unlock additional capacity for Google Cloud through Liberty’s AtlasEdge joint venture, Liberty said.
They also plan to target small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) with cloud, cybersecurity and AI services, and to look at ways to monetise Liberty’s telecom data while maintaining privacy requirements.
“Our goal is simple: to use technology to cut through complexity and bring value to our customers and partners,” Tara Brady, president of Google Cloud for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, said. Businesswire
Google Cloud is chasing larger rivals Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure in the cloud market, and telecom deals can bring both large data workloads and a direct path to millions of users.
Liberty Global has about 80 million fixed and mobile connections across Europe. Its operating units include Britain’s Virgin Media O2, Belgium’s Telenet, the Netherlands’ VodafoneZiggo and Switzerland’s Sunrise, the companies said.
The upside is clear, but the plumbing can bite. Rolling AI tools across multiple operating companies and legacy systems can take longer than planned, and efforts to monetise customer data risk scrutiny in Europe’s tight privacy environment.
