Operators to Invest More than $17 Billion in AI-Based Security

A new study from Juniper Research has found that operators will invest more than $17 billion globally over the next five years in AI-based network security. Their total investment will grow from $2.5 billion in 2025 to $4.6 billion in 2029.

Juniper Research has attributed this expected additional spending to operators’ greater focus on growing their B2B revenue streams for industries such as transportation, healthcare, and energy, where the security of networks is imperative. The report identified the use of AI to create intelligent and autonomous systems in network security as foundational to growing B2B revenue.

As operator revenue from traditional sources continues to slow, Juniper Research believes that greater investment in enterprise-focused solutions is a key strategy. However, successful B2B strategies will require operators to continue to enhance their network security. Operators will fail to capture the opportunity for B2B revenue growth if they do not make the necessary investments to assure enterprises that their data will be secure.

While AI is already being used to analyze data and automate manual security operations, Juniper Research believes that to effectively secure B2B, traffic operators must orient their strategies on autonomy, with technologies such as agentic AI being key to creating intelligent and autonomous network security systems. “Agentic AI will enable operators to inject autonomy into their network security operations, responding in real-time to threats to the network while retaining efficiency. These systems will better position operators to protect enterprise traffic, providing the foundation for strong B2B revenue growth,” remarked research author Alex Webb.