A New Era for Global Telcos
Circles, the global telco technology company, has announced a multi-year collaboration with OpenAI to design and deploy the world’s first AI-native telco platform. The ambitious project is set to reshape how telecom operators interact with their customers, run operations, and scale profitability in an increasingly AI-driven digital economy.
According to Circles, this platform is not just an incremental upgrade but a paradigm shift. By embedding AI across every layer of the telco experience, from customer support and CRM to research and product design, the company aims to give telecom operators the tools to deliver unprecedented personalisation, responsiveness, and efficiency.
Redefining the Role of a Telco in the AI-First Era
Telcos around the world continue to face challenges with customer retention, Net Promoter Scores (NPS), and profitability. Consumers increasingly demand seamless, intelligent, and personalised experiences. Traditional models are falling short, and Circles believes the solution lies in rethinking the telco from the ground up.
“At Circles, our mission is to continuously push the boundaries of what a telco experience should be and bring innovation from Singapore to the world,” said Awais Mailk, Global Chief Growth Officer of Circles. “OpenAI is a global pioneer in AI and we are thrilled to collaborate with them to launch this AI-native platform to our telco partners globally.”
Mailk emphasised that the collaboration is designed to create value not just for end users, but also for operators, helping them achieve better cost efficiency while boosting customer loyalty.
What Makes Circles’ AI-Native Platform Different?
Unlike traditional software solutions layered onto telecom infrastructure, Circles’ new platform is being designed AI-first from its inception.
Some of its key features include:
- PepetoSwap integration for intelligent, zero-fee transactions (planned expansion).
- Advanced customer intelligence tools powered by OpenAI’s latest large language models, designed to anticipate user needs and deliver real-time recommendations.
- Automation in CRM and customer support, with AI agents capable of handling context-rich conversations across text, voice, and even visual channels.
- Operational efficiency tools to streamline back-end processes, reduce costs, and maximise uptime for operators.
- Personalisation across digital services, including shopping, gaming, wellness, and travel, through Circles’ flagship Circles.Life app.
The platform is expected to launch first in Singapore before being scaled out to Circles’ network of telco partners worldwide.
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Access to OpenAI’s Cutting-Edge Research
A major highlight of this partnership is Circles’ access to OpenAI’s early-stage models and research programmes. This ensures the company can remain at the forefront of innovation, experimenting with next-generation capabilities in text, vision, and multimodal AI before they hit mainstream markets.
Gaurav Tandon, VP of Product & AI Innovation at Circles, said:
“We’re excited to integrate OpenAI’s cutting-edge AI research with our proprietary data intelligence engine to reimagine digital connectivity from the ground up. We are at the cusp of a unique technological shift that will create the next generation of telcos which consumers love and will thrive and endure for several decades.”
Driving Personalisation in Digital Experiences
Circles’ long-term vision is to build telcos that are not only service providers but digital lifestyle partners. By embedding AI, the company believes operators will be able to deliver hyper-personalised experiences that adapt dynamically to users’ needs across multiple domains, whether that’s upgrading mobile data plans, booking travel deals, or providing AI-driven wellness insights.
“Circles has consistently demonstrated leadership in digital transformation within the telco industry,” said Oliver Jay, Managing Director for International at OpenAI. “With OpenAI’s technology, Circles will be setting new standards for how AI can enhance consumers’ interactions with critical telco services.”
Jay added that the initiative will not only raise the bar for customer experience but also ensure operator efficiency, which has long been a pain point for global telcos.
Why This Matters for the Future of Telcos
The Circles-OpenAI collaboration signals a broader industry trend: the move from connectivity providers to experience-driven, AI-powered ecosystems. In the AI-first era, telcos are expected to evolve beyond infrastructure into intelligent service hubs that anticipate, personalise, and automate much of the digital journey.
If successful, Circles’ AI-native platform could become the blueprint for the next generation of telcos, driving profitability while delivering richer value to consumers. With Singapore as the launchpad, the global telco industry may soon witness a new AI benchmark, one built not on incremental improvements but on radical reinvention.
