Telco 4.0: How Alianza is Helping Carriers Monetize Their Networks in the AI Era

In an exclusive Fierce Network interview, CEO Brian Beutler reveals how Alianza is helping carriers monetize their networks with AI-powered, cloud-enabled solutions.

With over $3.6 trillion invested in infrastructure, service providers need more than just cost-cutting—they need real revenue growth.

Enter Alianza’s game-changing approach! Following its acquisition of Metaswitch from Microsoft, Alianza is partnering with Tier 1 carriers like Lumen to modernize legacy systems, integrate AI, and drive next-gen telecom services.

Alianza is playing a pivotal role in helping carriers monetize their networks in the AI era by providing a cloud-native, AI-infused communications platform that enables service providers to modernize their infrastructure, reduce costs, and unlock new revenue streams.

Transitioning from Legacy Systems to Cloud-Native Solutions

Alianza recognizes that carriers have invested heavily—over $3.6 trillion—in network infrastructure, yet many struggle to translate this into revenue growth due to reliance on outdated systems like TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) and legacy softswitches.

Alianza’s cloud communications platform facilitates a shift from these aging technologies to a modern, scalable, and cost-efficient cloud-based architecture. This “cloudification” (part of its Telco 3.0 and 4.0 vision) allows carriers to:

• Reduce Operational Costs: By replacing complex, multi-vendor legacy systems with a single, comprehensive SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solution, carriers eliminate capital expenditures (CAPEX) and lower operational expenses (OPEX).
• Simplify Operations: The platform consolidates voice and communications services into an integrated system, reducing the complexity of managing patchwork infrastructure.

For example, Alianza’s work with Lumen, a major Tier 1 carrier, demonstrates how it helps manage millions of legacy TDM customers while transitioning them to cloud-powered services, freeing up resources for revenue-generating innovation.

AI-Infused Innovation for New Revenue Opportunities

Alianza’s Telco 4.0 vision integrates artificial intelligence into its cloud platform, enabling carriers to offer next-generation services that meet modern customer demands. This AI-driven approach helps carriers monetize their networks by:

• Enhancing Service Offerings: AI powers advanced features like automation, intelligent call routing, and analytics-driven insights, which carriers can bundle into high-value services such as unified communications (UCaaS), cloud meetings, collaboration tools, and text messaging.
• Targeting Enterprise Markets: With AI-enabled, cloud-native solutions, carriers can meet enterprise customers’ needs for infrastructure-light, scalable services, opening up lucrative business segments that demand more than just connectivity.
• Accelerating Time-to-Market: Alianza’s platform, bolstered by its $200 million R&D commitment announced in 2022, delivers continuous, non-disruptive updates. This agility allows carriers to quickly roll out innovative products, staying ahead of over-the-top (OTT) competitors like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Strategic Acquisitions and Partnerships

Alianza’s acquisition of Metaswitch from Microsoft, finalized in early 2025, significantly enhances its ability to help carriers monetize their networks. Metaswitch brought:

• Expanded Customer Base: Over 1,000 service providers, including 19 of the top 20 global operators, now rely on Alianza, giving carriers access to a proven ecosystem.
• Advanced Technology: Metaswitch’s high-performance communications software complements Alianza’s platform, enabling carriers to deploy AI-enhanced services across on-premises, public, private, or hybrid cloud models.
• Revenue Growth Tools: The combined portfolio helps carriers close the services revenue gap by offering modern, high-margin offerings that leverage their existing network investments.

Additionally, Alianza’s collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), formalized in 2023, integrates AWS’s robust cloud infrastructure and AI capabilities (e.g., Amazon Chime SDK) into its platform. This partnership has enabled carriers like Lumen, Brightspeed, and Bluepeak to transform into “techcos” (technology companies) that deliver innovative, automated services with superior customer experiences.

Focus on Revenue Growth Over Cost-Cutting

Unlike many solutions that emphasize cost reduction, Alianza prioritizes revenue generation. CEO Brian Beutler has highlighted that carriers need more than efficiency—they need growth. Alianza achieves this by:

• Monetizing Broadband Assets: The platform turns voice into an application on broadband networks, allowing carriers to bundle it with high-speed internet for increased average revenue per user (ARPU).
• Empowering Differentiation: Flexible branding options and a powerful API suite enable carriers to create tailored, market-specific solutions, distinguishing them from OTT providers and reclaiming their “right to win” in the communications market.
• Supporting Diverse Markets: From rural broadband providers to global operators, Alianza’s solutions scale to meet varying needs, such as fixed voice over LTE (VoLTE) or enterprise-grade UCaaS.

Real-World Impact

A concrete example is Alianza’s work with Lumen, where it modernizes legacy back offices while introducing cloud-powered, AI-enabled services. This dual approach preserves cash flow from existing customers while tapping into new enterprise opportunities, driving both retention and expansion. Similarly, carriers like Bluepeak have leveraged Alianza and AWS to launch innovative products rapidly, enhancing competitiveness and profitability.

Conclusion

In the AI era, Alianza helps carriers monetize their networks by transitioning them from stagnant, legacy-dependent telcos to agile, revenue-focused techcos. Through its cloud-native platform, AI-driven innovation, strategic acquisitions like Metaswitch, and partnerships with AWS, Alianza empowers carriers to reduce costs, simplify operations, and—most importantly—generate new income streams from modern, high-demand services.

This holistic approach positions carriers to thrive amidst competition from OTT providers and capitalize on the trillion-dollar investments in their networks.