“Dynamic charging will turn billing from an afterthought into a real-time engagement engine.”
Lucrative 5G monetization opportunities are on the horizon. New services across Business-to-Business (B2B) and encompassing Artificial Intelligence (AI), satellite, and more are on telcos’ radar. However, legacy charging systems are holding telcos back from fully seizing the moment.
Amdocs partnered with ABI Research in 3Q 2025 to survey 300 executives and decision makers from mobile operators to understand their monetization strategies. Respondents range from global and regional operators to national operators and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). Survey findings were supplemented by in-depth interviews with ABI Research analysts.
A standout stat from the survey was that more than 78% of operators believe charging/monetization has been a more important strategic priority in the last 2 years. Telcos require flexible and dynamic charging systems to accommodate new services like B2B and the Internet of Things (IoT). Moreover, this flexibility is important to counter the increasing threat from—as well as opportunities related to—MVNOs and the Embedded Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM).
The following key findings provide clarity into the top 5G monetization focus areas and obstacles being discussed in the telco boardroom.
Migrating to Cloud-Native Charging Systems is Operators’ Top Priority
Cloud-native, modular architecture emerged as a top 5G monetization priority for telcos. It helps support transparent/accurate billing in real time, telco AI factories, analytics, and automation. Legacy charging systems cannot meet these standards.
While the need for cloud-native architecture is widely recognized, fewer than a third of surveyed telcos currently leverage it. And only 5% of survey respondents have a fully serverless multi-cloud charging infrastructure.
This finding highlights operator appetite for flexible infrastructure to make it easier to monetize new services. But at the same time, operators aren’t ready to fully transition to the cloud due to legacy challenges across the technical and operational domains.
Expect New AI-Driven 5G Monetization Models to Materialize in the Coming Years
Telcos recognize that the growing demand for cloud AI tools is unlocking new revenue streams. To successfully monetize these technologies, telcos are devising new business models. AI factory, Graphics Processing Unit-as-a-Service (GPUaaS), and sovereign AI cloud are three such models.
AI factory is the most mature among these, with 65% of survey respondents currently deploying or trialing it. Driven by data privacy laws, particularly in Europe, the sovereign AI cloud is being deployed/trialed by almost 6 in 10 telcos.
While these new business models are generally longer-term opportunities, GPUaaS is the most distant. Fewer than 50% of operators say they are deploying/trialing GPUaaS, and more than a third say it is under consideration.
Going forward, telcos must seek ways to simplify the AI implementation process, which appears to be a limiting factor at this point. Modernizing charging/billing systems will be essential for a smooth transition.
What’s Driving Upcoming 5G Monetization Efforts?
Real-time charging was cited as the most critical capability for telcos’ future 5G monetization strategy, with ecosystem monetization coming in a close second.
There was a split between what national operators and MVNOs prioritize and what global and regional operators prioritize. The latter are more concerned about generating revenue from their expansive Research & Development (R&D) projects. Tier Ones have large existing business customer bases they wish to focus on by offering and extending Business-to-Business (B2B) services toward them.
Meanwhile, national operators are more hesitant to adopt new technologies, and will likely rely on partners to modernize their charging systems.
2026 Will Be an Inflection Point for Monetizing New Telco Services
The modernization of charging systems also presents the opportunity for telcos to diversify their traditional service lineup. According to the survey, the year 2026 will see rapid ramp-up of Application Programming Interface (API) monetization, IoT connectivity, and edge computing.
Satellite-based access and Business-to-Business-to-Everything (B2B2X) services are not seen as immediate revenue opportunities. Instead, these two telco services appear to be closer to a 2027 milestone. Operators will need extensive preparatory work in 2026 to achieve that. Strikingly, almost 90% of operators still lack an effective B2B pricing model.
With regard to successful monetization, telcos must adopt systems that can dynamically track customer billing and provisioning of new services. One Tier One European Union (EU) operator tells us that “Dynamic charging will turn billing from an afterthought into a real-time engagement engine.”
Conclusion
Our survey clearly shows that telco operators are diversifying their services portfolio to tap into the B2B market and enhance their 5G monetization efforts. But the charging systems that most operators currently use are not ready to support more complex business models. Moreover, uncertainties surrounding deployment of AI technologies risks becoming a key innovation inhibitor.
Upgrading to charging systems underpinned by cloud-native, modular architecture and supported by AI provides the agility needed to rapidly provision new services and accurately bill customers. Additionally, advanced charging infrastructure reduces Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and facilitates advancements, including API exposure.
ABI Research believes the transition to truly cloud-native telco systems will be gradual. Many essential internal systems run on legacy technologies and it’s not so easy to bring to the cloud. It is clear that the telecoms sector must close the gap between their ambition and capabilities.
For a comprehensive study of telcos’ monetization strategies, download the whitepaper, Charging Ahead: A Survey of Evolving Monetization Requirements.