From just-in-time to just-in-case: Why telcos are rethinking procurement (Reader Forum)

In a volatile world, telecom procurement can no longer operate on the assumption that global supply chains will hold firm

In recent years, telecom operators have faced what can only be described as a state of permanent disruption. Events once considered rare — pandemics, geopolitical conflict, natural disasters, rapid shifts in trade policy — are now frequent and overlapping. Ongoing global escalations continue to cause destabilizing developments that ripple through global supply chains.

This isn’t a temporary crisis. It can perhaps be described as a state of permacrisis.

For telcos, whose business models rely on long-term planning and stable infrastructure deployment, this shift has created a complex and unpredictable operating environment. Supply chains have become increasingly fragil