The AI opportunity for Telcos: Empowering small businesses with accessible tools
Earlier this year, BT partnered with Small Business Britain to release a report examining how small businesses in the UK are engaging with AI. Co-authored by Chris Sims (BT) and Michelle Ovens (Small Business Britain), the report provides a clear snapshot of how SMEs view AI today – what excites them, what worries them and what support they need to maximise its benefits.
Among the findings, one statistic stands out: 74% of small business owners believe AI could help grow their business, yet only 20% feel that AI tools are truly accessible. That gap represents both a challenge and a significant opportunity – particularly for large organisations with extensive small-business customer bases, such as telcos.
Telcos as trusted AI demystifiers
Telcos have long served as digital partners to small businesses, providing the essential infrastructure for connectivity and communication. As AI becomes a core part of the digital economy, telcos are well-positioned to evolve that role – not just supplying the “pipes” but enabling the productivity and innovation that flow through them.
By offering accessible and affordable AI-powered tools, telcos can help small businesses overcome the barriers that prevent them from adopting these technologies. Beyond access, they can play a critical role in education and enablement – demystifying AI, providing clear examples of use cases and supporting business owners as they experiment with new technologies.
This builds trust and deepens customer relationships for telcos as SMB growth partners, not just SMB service providers. Small businesses are also more likely to turn to a supportive, familiar, credible provider for guidance than to navigate an unfamiliar marketplace of standalone AI apps.
What small businesses need
According to the BT and Small Business Britain report, there are three key ingredients for creating “AI-ready” small businesses:
- Confidence: Business owners need to understand what AI can (and cannot) do, and how it applies to their specific challenges.
- Support: They need trusted partners who can guide them through implementation, training, and change management.
- Access: They require affordable tools that integrate seamlessly into their daily operations.
These are areas where telcos can make a measurable difference.
Bringing AI into the digital bundle
For telcos, embedding AI into existing small-business digital bundles offers a practical way to add value. For example, AI-enabled website builders can help small firms create and optimise an online presence in minutes. AI-powered e-commerce tools can automate product listings, generate marketing content and personalise customer interactions.
Other potential inclusions range from AI-driven bookkeeping and invoicing to automated customer support or analytics dashboards that help SMEs understand their performance. All of these solutions reduce manual workload and free up time for business owners to focus on growth – aligning perfectly with the telco’s mission of enabling digital success.
Bundling these tools alongside core connectivity and cloud services also strengthens customer stickiness. When small businesses rely on their telco not only for internet access but also for day-to-day business enablement, the relationship shifts from transactional to strategic.
Looking ahead
As AI adoption accelerates, telcos have a unique opportunity to bridge the accessibility gap for millions of small businesses. The combination of trust, scale and existing digital infrastructure makes them natural small business enablers of this next wave of transformation and entrepreneurship.
By combining connectivity with practical, easy-to-use AI solutions and support, telcos can help small business customers unlock productivity gains, boost competitiveness and future-proof their operations – while protecting market share from a loyal audience and capturing new sources of growth for themselves.
The message from the BT and Small Business Britain report is clear: small businesses see the potential of AI. Now it’s up to the telcos supporting them to make that potential accessible.