Every day, headlines remind us of public safety crises, from devastating natural disasters to geopolitical crises and delayed emergency responses. As nations strengthen their civil and military defences, telecom operators find themselves at a pivotal moment. Their role in protecting national interests, ensuring public safety, and supporting resilience is set to grow dramatically.
Public Safety AI use cases shaping telecom compliance
Governments and operators are now working in close partnership under an “all-hazards, all-threats” approach. AI is redefining how telcos contribute to critical missions such as disaster response, emergency services, and national security.
- Climate resilience: With climate disasters intensifying, governments are turning to AI for disaster preparedness and mitigation. Applications include risk data monitoring, live situational awareness, predictive analytics, assisted public alerting, and evacuation planning. Large-scale mobility and activity models powered by AI unlock vital insights for crisis management.
- Emergency calls: Operators must route emergency communications quickly and accurately, providing precise caller location data. AI helps predict spikes in call volumes, transcribe speech in real time, filter out non-urgent calls, and deliver meter-level caller location accuracy. For emergency services, this means faster, smarter, and more effective responses.
- Law enforcement: Traditional policing relied on reports after incidents occurred. Today, AI can detect suspicious patterns in real time, sometimes even before an event unfolds. With vast streams of data to process, AI-powered tools are now critical in helping law enforcement and intelligence agencies identify threats, fight organized crime, and combat terrorism, all within strict regulatory frameworks. Operators are expected to provide AI-enabled investigative and monitoring capabilities that enhance national security.
The regulator's transformation
The ITU’s recent Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR) in Riyadh underscored the urgent need for regulators to embrace innovation. The GSR-25 Best Practice Guidelines emphasized AI, big data analytics, cross-border collaboration, and harmonized regulations as the pillars for future policy. Key regulatory evolutions linked to public safety AI include:
- AI-driven network situational awareness to detect threats
- AI-powered metadata analysis to uncover digital footprints
- Enhanced device location accuracy for emergency call routing
As Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunications Development Bureau, put it: “The regulators of today and tomorrow cannot simply be the referee of a known game. They must be the architects of a world in transformation. It means fostering innovation not as a side project, but as a core practice.”
For telcos, adapting to this new regulatory landscape isn’t just about compliance. It’s a strategic investment in both public safety and long-term industry growth.
Turning compliance into business opportunities
Public safety isn’t just a duty; it’s also a major growth market. The sector is worth nearly $130 billion[1], driven by long-term adoption cycles and AI-driven innovation. These capabilities demonstrate how compliance-driven technology can evolve into scalable commercial services:
- Identity APIs: Subscriber identity APIs are becoming essential to prevent fraud and improve security, both internally (for cost efficiency) and externally (for sectors like banking). AI enhances these APIs by spotting anomalies in real time.
- Location APIs: Omdia projects location API revenues to grow from $40 million in 2024 to $1.3 billion by 2030 (an 80% CAGR). These APIs enable geofencing, real-time location tracking, and operational optimization across industries. AI enhances these APIs by increasing spatial accuracy.
- Quality on Demand (QoD): Analysts highlight QoD, powered by network slicing and APIs, as a key long-term revenue stream. Telcos that navigate regulatory hurdles and build scalable offerings here will unlock significant value.
At Intersec, we enhance location-based services by using specialised, deep-learning neural network models to improve spatial accuracy and optimise costs.
Surfing the AI wave: what it takes for telcos to stay ahead
Public safety remains one of the last major software markets to fully embrace the cloud and AI. As adoption accelerates, operators need to focus on:
- Clear ROI: New solutions must go beyond incremental upgrades or basic automation. They need to deliver measurable value across multiple use cases.
- Neutrality and independence: Avoiding overreliance on incumbent data streams is key. Partnering with neutral, independent providers ensures scalability and genuine innovation.
- Cloud shift: Cloud-native AI accelerates product development, enhances security, and raises quality standards. Systems that lag behind will quickly become obsolete.
- Responsible AI: Ethical considerations are paramount. Bias mitigation and transparency are critical to ensuring AI strengthens, rather than undermines, public trust.
- Interoperability: Success relies on platforms that not only integrate seamlessly with diverse infrastructures and stakeholders but also scale effectively through agent interoperability.
At Intersec, our Agora platform delivers regulatory, sovereign, and commercial use cases in a unified environment. Our triple-use technology enables telcos, regulators, and public authorities to harness metadata intelligence and AI for innovation while upholding independence, neutrality, and accountability. As a European company, we proudly provide a trusted alternative in the global AI race.
Conclusion
AI is a powerful tool to keep communities safe and resilient. With climate risks, security challenges, and public expectations rising, telcos have an unprecedented opportunity to lead. The next generation of AI-native solutions will not only protect lives but also drive new revenue streams and strengthen national infrastructure. If you’re looking for a technology partner, we’d love to connect. To discuss opportunities, please reach out to us.
[1] Axon : https://filecache.investorroom.com/mr5ir_axon/553/AXON_Investor_Deck_May_2025.pdf