1. What does "sovereignty" mean in practical terms for your enterprise clients today, and how is it reshaping infrastructure and partnership decisions?
In practical terms, sovereignty means different things depending on the country, the sector, and the customer’s risk exposure. What matters in France may differ significantly from expectations in the USA, of course, but as well in Poland or Sweden. So, there is no universal definition or one-size-fits-all response. What has changed most is that sovereignty is no longer seen as a theoretical concern. It now comes up in almost every customer conversation, including with US-based companies. Questions that seemed overly cautious 18 months ago have become urgent and very concrete: what is our exposure, how would operations be affected if a foreign service became unavailable, and what credible European alternatives exist? Ultimately, if sovereignty is the question, trust is the answer. But trust cannot be declared. It must be earned and kept continuously through clear evidence, transparency, and control.
2. What's the biggest opportunity you see for telcos who position themselves effectively in the AI landscape?
The biggest opportunity for telcos in the AI landscape is to focus on the areas where they have distinctive strategic assets and can capture real value, rather than simply support hyperscalers’ growth. With compute capacity and energy now acting as major constraints, investment decisions must be selective and intentional. Telcos are well positioned to play a meaningful role through assets such as GPU-as-a-Service, AI Grid capabilities, and flexible network infrastructure. Network-as-a-Service will be a key enabler for enterprises that need to adapt, secure, and scale their digital infrastructure quickly as AI usage expands. Beyond infrastructure, success will depend on speed of execution, a clear go-to-market strategy, and a strong understanding of customer needs. The winners will be those who combine technical relevance with a compelling commercial narrative.
3.What is the impact of AI on cloud, cybersecurity and sovereignty?
The relationship between AI, cloud, and sovereignty in Europe is becoming both more strategic and more complex. There is no trusted cloud without trusted connectivity, and trusted connectivity depends on who controls the infrastructure, who operates it, and who secures it. At the same time, we should be realistic: true digital sovereignty does not fully exist in Europe today, as we remain deeply dependent on global supply chains, including in cybersecurity, where a large share of solutions relies on US technologies. Finally, AI amplifies those cybersecurity risks. The world is starting to realize that frontier AI models have a huge impact on cybersecurity. These models can detect and exploit vulnerabilities faster than anything we thought possible. Customers shouldn’t panic but go back to basics to improve their cybersecurity posture as fast as possible.
4. What are you looking forward to most at Network X this year? And what do you hope attendees take away from your session?
It’s my second time attending Network X, and I am both pleased and honored to be speaking again. What I look forward to most is taking the pulse of the telecom industry: understanding where priorities are shifting, what new initiatives are emerging, and how operators are evolving to deliver greater value to customers. Through my session, I hope attendees will leave with a clearer view of how major trends such as sovereignty and AI are reshaping customer expectations, and infrastructure choices. More importantly, I hope they take away the idea that trust, adaptability, and execution will be key differentiators in the years ahead.
Register for Network X 2026 to hear Benjamin Vigouroux's perspectives on sovereignty, AI strategy, and the evolving role of telcos in enterprise digital infrastructure.
Operator Address: What should be the role of telcos in the AI era?
, 12:10