Telco Technology Market Overview and Outlook – 1Q26

James Crawshaw

Practice Leader

James leads Omdia’s service provider transformation team, which covers telco IT (operations support systems, business support systems, and analytics) and telco cloud & automation (software-defined networking, network function virtualization, etc.). James’ own research focuses on operations support systems, including service assurance, orchestration, order management, inventory management, network security, self-organizing networks, and radio access network intelligent control.

Before joining Omdia, James led Heavy Reading’s communications service provider IT & automation research service. James holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering in electrical and mechanical engineering from the University of Manchester, England. Earlier in his career, while working as a financial analyst, James passed the three exams required to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst qualification. In addition, James has a Master of Science in electronic engineering from the University of Surrey, England. 

Rémy Pascal

Practice Leader, Mobile infrastructure

Rémy leads the Mobile Infrastructure team and research at Omdia. As a Principal Analyst he produces quantitative and qualitative analysis with a primary focus on 5G and LTE radio access networks (RAN), including open RAN and vRAN.

Rémy has more than 10 years of experience in the telecoms industry. Before joining Omdia in October 2020, Rémy was a Senior Analyst at Analysys Mason in Singapore where he helped telecom vendors and operators understanding technology trends and developing business strategies. Before that, Rémy worked in market and competitive intelligence roles at Samsung Electronics in South Korea and Orange in France.

Rémy has a bachelor’s degree and a master's degree in management, both from Rouen Business School in France. He is based in South Korea.

Roberto Kompany

Principal Analyst, Mobile Infrastructure

Roberto is a Principal Analyst in the Service Provider Networks team primarily contributing to the Mobile Infrastructure research practice. His research includes both quantitative and qualitative analysis of the LTE and 5G RAN and mobile core. He is also a Cambridge Wireless Special Interest Group (SIG) Enhanced Mobile Broadband champion.

Roberto has more than 15 years of experience in the telecoms and ICT industries. Prior to joining Omdia, Roberto was an industry analyst at Analysys Mason where he led the mobile networks research, including 5G and open RAN; he helped telecom vendors and operators understand the technology trends and develop business strategies. His previous experience also includes analyzing telecom market shifts and effects, as well as helping clients worldwide with mobile-related projects. Roberto holds a Master of Science in Mobile and Satellite Communications from the University of Surrey and an MBA from IE Business School. He is based in London.

Guang Yang

Senior Principal Analyst

Guang Yang is a Senior Principal Analyst based in Beijing, China providing deep insights into strategies of communications service providers (CSPs) and the mobile network infrastructure market. He tracks network technology developments and their impacts on the economics of CSPs, industry structure, and regulatory environment.

Guang has over 20 years of experience in the mobile communications industry. Prior to joining Omdia, he was a research director at Strategy Analytics, where he led telecom market research and consulting projects in China and Asia & Oceania for multiple clients worldwide. Before that, Guang held positions in R&D, standardization, and project management in several leading telecom players, including Orange Labs and ZTE, among others.

Guang received his Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Engineering degrees in telecom and information systems from the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

Jaimie Lenderman

Research Manager

Jaimie Lenderman is a research manager at Omdia. She leads a team of analysts and oversees intelligence services focused on the optical, IP, and fixed access markets. With over a decade of experience in the telecoms industry, Jaimie delivers market analysis, forecasts, and strategic insights while building strong client partnerships. She is a frequent speaker at global industry events. Her work has supported key filings and presentations for regulatory bodies, including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the European Commission (EC). Jaimie is based in southwestern Montana.

Stephen Wilson

Senior Principal Analyst

Stephen is a Senior Principal Analyst at Omdia and focuses on the fixed broadband access space from both supply and demand perspectives. His research examines fixed broadband related opportunities for operators and vendors.

Stephen has 15 years of experience as an analyst covering the fixed broadband market globally and has produced numerous reports and engaged in large numbers of projects covering the sector. He has a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from St Catherine's College, Oxford University.

Garinder Shankrowalia

Senior Analyst

Garinder Shankrowalia specializes in Broadband Access, providing market trends and analysis, actionable insights, and quality data and forecasts to clients. Her expertise can give strategic support to businesses, helping them to navigate the complex market landscapes they are working in and to drive growth.

Prior to joining Omdia (then Ovum) in 2019, Garinder had previously worked with a leading British energy firm, where she honed her skills in data analytics, competitor analysis, predictive modeling, and KPI reporting. Since joining Omdia, initially as an expert in data forecasting, she worked on a multitude of projects across telecoms, media & entertainment, and semiconductors, building advanced forecasting models and contributing to provide high-quality projections on each area to clients. In 2024, she then began specializing in broadband access and has since developed expertise in market analysis, quantitative research, and qualitative research here. Garinder has a strong logical and analytical background and holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Birmingham. 

Bun Tek Lai

Senior Analyst

Bun Tek Lai is a senior analyst at Omdia specializing in telecoms, with a focus on optical networks, optical components, broadband access, and routing and switching intelligence services. He provides actionable insights and strategic support to help businesses navigate complex market landscapes, enhance decision-making, and drive growth in the telecoms sector. 

Before joining Omdia in 2024, Lai gained valuable experience at a market research boutique firm, where he developed expertise in market analysis, quantitative research, and consulting. He led cross-country teams, delivered comprehensive reports, and implemented innovative solutions. Since joining Omdia, initially as an analyst in research operations, Lai has contributed to building efficient workflows, optimizing processes, and advancing AI research initiatives across various deliverables. In 2026, he began specializing in telecoms, focusing on delivering high-quality insights and strategic intelligence. Lai holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from HELP University, bringing a strong analytical foundation to his work.

Ian Redpath

Research Director, Transport Networks and Components

Ian is the Research Director for Omdia’s, optical transport, components, routing, and networked edge services. He is responsible for strategy, client, product, and team development. Managing a team of communications technology professionals, he covers how communications and cloud service providers and enterprises utilize and deploy leading-edge optical networks, components, routing, and edge technologies.

Ian and the team have been advising clients on how to evolve and grow networks based on a rapidly evolving 5G, cloud, and edge world. Ian’s past advisory efforts have included work on the evolution of open optics and transport SDN, right of way value for new entrants, and cloud-communications SP partnering. He has also supported open industry fora, built hot topic conference tracks, and supported industry player mergers and acquisitions. Ian is the 2019 winner of the NGON & DCI World People’s Choice Award and is a regular speaker at industry events. He received his MBA from Queen's University at Kingston in Canada and a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Manitoba.

Sameer Ashfaq Malik

Senior Principal Analyst

Sameer joined Omdia in March 2021. His expertise includes 5G and transport, carrier network E2E solution design, enterprise strategy, IoT smart city, AI-based network orchestrations and automation, and SDN. He has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, including leadership positions at Huawei, ZTE, and Etisalat.

Most recently, Sameer was responsible for ICT network solutions business development at Huawei for the APAC region. His projects included engaging with carrier planning, strategy, and C-suite groups. He authored many articles and contributed to the ITUT 2016 state broadband report publication. Sameer has established carrier relationships around the globe. In 2019, he received the Huawei Service Provider Employee Ambassador award at company level and was the subject of a short documentary. In 2020, he was recognized as Distinguished Technical Talent by the Australian government. His family recently took up residency in Australia, where they are based in Sydney.

Esther Cheh

Senior Analyst, Access Networks

Esther is Omdia’s Senior Analyst for transport networks, including router, switching, and optical technologies. She has more than 12 years of experience in the telecommunication industry, covering network operations, market and industry analysis, and business strategy in service provider and network equipment vendor environment.

Esther joined Omdia in December 2016. Prior to joining Omdia, she worked as a business consultant, providing strategic consulting on fixed network services to the service providers in the Asia Pacific performing market, opportunity sizing to support corporate decision-making, and recommendations on the go-to-market strategy for new product and new market segments.

Esther holds a Bachelor of Engineering in telecommunication engineering from Multimedia University, Malaysia, and an MBA from the Melbourne Business School, Australia.

Roz Roseboro

Senior Principal Analyst

Roz covers CSP operations and IT, focusing on telco AI and analytics. She has over 20 years of experience in market research, marketing, and product management. Her research explores the application of AI in network and OSS/BSS domains, the use of analytics to improve CSP operations, and the associated professional services provided to CSPs by their technology partners.

Roz joined Omdia in 2022 following analyst positions at Heavy Reading, Analysys Mason, OSS Observer, and RHK. Previously, she worked at Motorola on IT product development and radio and mobile phone product management. Roz holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, an MBA in marketing, management, and international business from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Northern Michigan University. She is based in Michigan.

Inderpreet Kaur

Senior Analyst

Inderpreet is Omdia’s Senior Analyst for telco cloud. Her research focuses on communications service providers’ (CSP) adoption of cloud computing and relevant technologies across fixed and mobile network infrastructure. She tracks and monitors key providers across the network domain, including public cloud providers, which are enabling telco infrastructure migrations to cloud-native and virtualized platforms. While doing so, her research also helps CSPs to uncover opportunities and expanding capabilities in the edge cloud value chain. 

Inderpreet joined Omdia in July 2022. She has over 12 years of experience as an industry analyst and consultant delivering strategic advisory to communications service providers, system integrators, and vendors. She has strong experience in tracking key industry trends and implications across the TMT value chain. Inderpreet holds a Bachelor of Engineering in computer engineering and an MBA in marketing from the University of Pune, India.

Adam Mackenzie

Senior Analyst, Service Provider Networks

Adam Mackenzie is the Senior Analyst for Omdia’s Telecoms Network Evolution Intelligence Service and a contributor to Omdia’s Telecoms Strategy Service.

His research focuses on quantitative and qualitative analysis of global telecoms capex and opex trends, as well as forecasting and market analysis of the network API ecosystem. Adam has presented webinars to hundreds of attendees, hosted podcasts, delivered in-person presentations on these topics, and serves as a judge for the GSMA’s GLOMO awards.

Adam’s consultancy projects have helped clients benchmark against industry peers and identify opportunities for improving cost and investment efficiency. He has consulted on projects that have earned recognition via industry awards.

Before joining Omdia in 2022, Adam worked at Analysys Mason within the data, networks, and SMB teams. He holds a Master of Arts in Economics from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.