What CES 2026 Meant for Telco Marketers: Intelligence, AI, and Connected Experiences
CES is where technology’s future presents itself in real time. With more than 140,000 attendees and hundreds of exhibitors showcasing innovations in AI, IoT, connectivity, and smart environments, CES 2026 reinforced a key reality for telco marketing leaders: connectivity alone isn’t enough — intelligence, measurement, and experience now define competitive advantage.
For telco marketers, the event wasn’t just product demos and flashy hardware. It was a clear signal of where customer expectations are going and what marketing strategies will matter most in 2026 and beyond.
From Connectivity to Intelligent, Customer-Led Marketing
If past CES shows spotlighted the next generation of network hardware and devices, CES 2026 doubled down on AI-enabled experiences, smart systems, and predictive technologies. Across sessions and exhibits, brands and innovators emphasized:
- AI-enhanced personalization at every customer touch point
- Connected experiences that blend digital, physical, and mobile worlds
- Smart cities and IoT ecosystems that depend on telcos to deliver seamless data flow
AI and connected devices aren’t future concepts — they’re core to modern telco marketing. According to industry data, over 45% of telco CMOs are actively investing in generative AI for marketing content and engagement workflows, and AI-powered personalization can boost subscription revenues by up to 10%.
It’s a reminder that a telco marketing strategy must be grounded in both connectivity strength and audience intelligence.
Why AI Measurement Should Be Top of Mind for Telco Marketers
AI isn’t just a buzzword at CES. It’s reshaping how telcos think about customer data, optimization, and measurement.
One of our Claritas subject-matter experts shared on a recent CMO Whisperer podcast that:
“Real performance comes from knowing not just who your customers are, but how they behave, why they move, and what they need next. AI helps surface these insights, but only if marketers build their data infrastructure to support meaningful, accurate measurement.”
— Cort Irish, VP Marketing & Communications, Claritas (CMO Whisperer podcast, “Preparing CMOs for CES”)
The telco data ecosystem is vast but often fragmented. CEOs and marketing leaders are grappling with questions like:
- How do we unify customer data across channels?
- How can we measure cross-channel journeys with confidence?
- What KPIs truly reflect business outcomes?
External research backing these priorities suggests that AI-driven analytics and personalization are among the top telecom marketing trends going into 2025 and 2026, alongside 5G expansion and omnichannel engagement strategies.
Smart Cities, IoT, and the Expanding Telco Opportunity
CES also amplified how telcos fit into the broader ecosystem of connected experiences. Smart communities, autonomous systems, and Internet of Things innovations dominated the agenda — all deeply dependent on networks that can handle scale, speed, and intelligence.
These aren’t peripheral trends. The future of connected devices and smart city infrastructure hinges on telco operators providing the backbone for:
- Real-time IoT data exchange
- Urban analytics and planning
- Immersive, cross-platform user experiences
For telco marketers, this creates both a challenge and an opportunity: how to position their brands not just as carriers of connectivity, but as enablers of intelligent ecosystems.
Insights From Claritas at CES: Marketers and Measurement Meet
Our teams engaged with telco leaders throughout CES — in private meetings, roundtables, and conversations in Las Vegas. One theme came up again and again, and was reiterated in the CMO Whisperer series:
“AI unlocks prediction and automation, yes — but without common measurement frameworks and data governance, it’s just noise.”
— Chase Miller, Chief Growth Officer, Claritas (CMO Whisperer podcast, “Signals from CES”)
This insight strikes at the heart of modern telco marketing: data alone isn’t enough. It must be accurate, connected, and actionable.
That perspective aligns with broader industry forecasts showing the integration of AI not just in marketing workflows, but into core operational systems — from customer service to predictive network optimization.
Three Strategic Priorities for Telco Marketing in 2026
Coming out of CES 2026, successful telco marketers will be those who can:
Drive Smarter Audience Intelligence
Understanding not just who customers are, but what they’re likely to do next — engaging predictive analytics and AI to anticipate behaviors.
Elevate Customer Experiences Across Touchpoints
Blending data from mobile, digital, and real-world interactions into seamless, personalized journeys.
Embrace AI-Driven Optimization Fueled by Measurement
Moving beyond basic KPIs to true business outcome metrics, such as acquisition cost, subscriber lifetime value, and cross-channel influence.
Each priority underscores a shift from simply broadcasting messages to understanding and serving customers with intelligence at scale.
Conclusion: CES 2026 Wasn’t Just About Technology — It Was About Marketing Strategy
For telco marketers, CES 2026 reinforced a larger truth: winning in 2026 means marketing that’s as intelligent and connected as the networks it represents. From AI measurement to connected experiences and IoT ecosystems, the event spotlighted the technologies and mindsets shaping future customer engagement.
If connectivity was once the foundation of telco marketing, now data intelligence, measurement sophistication, and customer experience personalization are the pillars on which competitive advantage will rest.
Curious how Claritas can help telco brands activate these lessons from CES? Let’s talk about turning strategy into measurable impact:
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