The Top 11 Telco startups to watch in 2026
sebastianbarros.substack.com
Dec. 27, 2025, 3:38 p.m.
Telecom is rarely associated with startup innovation. Software, fintech, and consumer AI dominate venture narratives, while telecommunications is viewed as slow, regulated, and capital-heavy. Despite structural barriers, a non-trivial startup ecosystem has formed around telecom. Analysts identify roughly 7,000 active telecom startups globally, spanning RAN software, AI-driven operations, security, satellite systems, private networks, and connectivity platforms. This is small relative to SaaS or fintech, but large enough to bring disruption.The backdrop for this new wave of telecom startups is a mix of necessity and disruption. Operator revenues are flat, while complexity continues to rise across multi-generation networks.