SINGAPORE, March 24, 2026, 01:00 SGT
Circles on March 23 announced it struck a strategic deal with Huawei aiming to roll out AI-native telecom software for operators around the world. That update hit as Telkomsel executives pointed to a live migration—2.5 million by.U users moved onto Circles’ cloud stack, zero downtime. For the sector, it’s another sign: carriers want AI platforms to speed up launching new services, not just trim costs on network ops. 1
Timing is critical here. With spending on networks slowing, operators are hunting for fresh revenue sources beyond just providing connections. IDC figures out last week show global telecom capex is set to slip 1.5% in 2026, dropping to $320 billion. That backdrop gives more weight to software-as-a-service — the subscription-based cloud tools — and also to the billing and customer-management systems that help carriers launch and price new offers faster. 2
During a March 23 interview, Joyce Shia, chief information officer at Telkomsel’s by.U brand, said the company aimed to swap out its old platform and “reinvent a new customer experience” targeting younger users. Circles CTO Kannan Alagappan reported that 2.5 million customers had already been migrated “flawlessly” the previous day, with 7.5 million still awaiting transfer. 3
Circles is pairing its digital BSS vertical SaaS platform—think billing, product catalogs, campaigns, customer care—with Huawei’s network and cloud stack, aiming to tackle everything from pricing and network policy to automation. Both firms are looking at hosting the software on Huawei Cloud to address data-residency and security requirements. “AI in telecom is now foundational,” Circles Chief Revenue Officer Sanjay Kaul said. 1
Circles expanded its reach last week, announcing a partnership with Airwallex that lets operators plug digital banking features into services in over 70 countries. Nokia, for its part, said this month that major carriers — Deutsche Telekom, Rakuten, Telefónica, Vodafone — are stepping up network-API rollouts, opening up carrier infrastructure for things like identity verification, tighter fraud prevention and on-demand service tweaks. 4
That’s added strain for public suppliers all targeting the same budgets. At MWC 2026, Amdocs rolled out new tie-ups with Microsoft, Google Cloud, and AWS, pitching its AI-powered telecom software. Nokia, meanwhile, expanded its AI network agreements with operators including TIM Brasil and Deutsche Telekom as carriers prepare their systems for AI-powered services. 5
Around the afternoon on March 23, Amdocs was trading at $65.36, up roughly 0.8%. Nokia’s ADRs ticked up about 0.3% to $8.00. Calix, after rolling out its Calix One AI-native platform for service providers back in February, popped 4.5% to reach $52.57. 6
Live migrations—or brownfield shifts—can get complicated. Operators need to transition customers off old systems without any downtime, and both Telkomsel and Circles acknowledged there’s still migration left to do. The financial upside is still up in the air: speedier launches need to result in less churn, more spending, or fresh revenue, but budgets are tight and data rules change from market to market. 3
At this point, the trend remains clear. Circles is tapping a new Huawei partnership, while Telkomsel’s by.U brand is shifting its entire user base — both moves pointing to telecom operators leaning into software platforms designed for flexible digital offerings. Think safer log-ins, fintech products, custom bundles: all packaged more like on-demand apps than the old-school network bolt-ons. 1
