- Telco and tech giants deepen AI collaboration to modernise services, optimise networks and unlock SME opportunities
- Agreement spans consumer experiences, infrastructure automation and potential data centre integration
What happened
Google Cloud and European telecom powerhouse Liberty Global have agreed a strategic five-year partnership to deploy Google’s advanced Gemini AI models and cloud technologies across Liberty Global’s operations, which cover around 80 million fixed and mobile connections.
Under the agreement, Liberty’s consumer platforms such as Horizon TV will integrate Gemini-powered features — including smarter content search and automated customer support — while also expanding the retail availability of Google hardware like Pixel phones, watches and smart-home devices through its regional brands including Virgin Media O2 in the UK, Telenet in Belgium, VodafoneZiggo in the Netherlands and Sunrise in Switzerland.
The deal builds on existing collaborations between the companies and extends into infrastructure and business services. It aims to boost network reliability, security and automation through AI-first programmes that can detect issues and self-optimise performance. The partnership also contemplates Google Cloud potentially using excess capacity in Liberty Global’s data centres via ventures like AtlasEdge.
Beyond consumer and infrastructure use cases, both firms plan to target small and medium-sized enterprises with suites of cloud, cybersecurity and AI services, and explore ways to responsibly monetise telecom data while adhering to strict privacy standards.
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Why it’s important
This cooperation reflects the broader trend of telecom operators turning to generative artificial intelligence to reduce operating costs and create differentiated services, while at the same time, the telecom industry is also investing heavily in fiber optic networks and 5G.
For Google Cloud, this collaboration not only consolidates its position in the fiercely competitive cloud market, but also highlights the increasing commercialization of its artificial intelligence technology stack (including Gemini) beyond traditional enterprise domains. Other major participants, such as Meta, have also explored using Google’s artificial intelligence model to improve their services, indicating that artificial intelligence has gained wider industry recognition.
For Liberty Global, large-scale embedding of artificial intelligence can modernize customer interaction, reduce manual workload, and create new sources of revenue in both consumer and enterprise markets. As telecom operators face innovation pressure while managing traditional systems, such artificial intelligence collaborations may play an increasingly important role in future strategies.
