and, increasingly, for meeting the expectations of regulators and investors.
spreadsheets, CAD drawings or paper. Only 7% say field changes reach their system of record immediately; 49% say it takes up to a week. That daily drift is where data quality degrades. Each day, the gap between the system of record and physical reality widens slightly, and every decision built on that record is a little less reliable. The field-to-office gap isn’t just about speed. Ninety per cent of operators require field engineers to take photographs during network jobs. But on average, only 11% of those photos are audited, and just 31% of respondents are completely confident that contractors complete field reports accurately. The data is being collected, but it isn’t being verified.
The data shows a clear gradient. Operators at the fully autonomous end of the scale average around 58% record accuracy, compared to 45–49% for those at earlier stages, and the share with records above 75% accurate roughly doubles between the middle stages and the most advanced. Better data tracks with greater autonomy. It’s already costing money Every single respondent (100%) reported business impact from inaccurate network data in the past twelve months. Delays to projects, delays to service activations, problems with customer quoting. Not future risks; real costs now. Poor data is especially expensive during M&A. Ninety-eight per cent believe data quality influences network valuations, and 78% say that influence is critical or major. For any operator considering a transaction in the near term, the quality of physical network records is now a direct input to what the asset is worth.
What the industry already knows When we asked where AI would deliver the greatest value over the next three to five years, the top answer wasn’t predictive maintenance or automated fault response. It was improving data accuracy and completeness. The operators surveyed have already identified the problem themselves. The open question is whether they’ll treat it as a dedicated programme of work, something with ownership and a timeline, or assume it improves as a byproduct of other investments.
The sustainability dimension
The 2030 target is achievable. But ground truth won’t arrive on its own.
The data problem extends into sustainability, too. Eighty-two per cent of operators rate sustainability as important in their planning and operations decisions, and 94% believe ESG requirements will shape network operations over the next five years. Yet around 90% say better data visibility would directly help them reduce overbuilding and improve infrastructure utilisation. Accurate network records aren’t just the foundation for autonomous networks; they’re the foundation for demonstrating sustainability performance
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Where the problem lives
Half of operators run their physical network records across multiple disconnected systems. A quarter primarily use
Volume 48 No.23 SEPTEMBER 2026
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