The Future of Telecom Is AI—And It’s Already Here

AI is no longer a buzzword in telecom—it’s a survival tool. That was the clear message from the Connect(X) 2025 Conference Spotlight panel featuring Sean Shahini, CEO & Co-founder of Inorsa, and D.J. Grosso, VP of Administration and Systems at Harmoni Towers, moderated by Tom Marciano. (You can watch the full recording here)

The panel, hosted by the Wireless Infrastructure Association, cut through hype and focused on what really matters: how applied AI is already transforming deployment, operations, and revenue for infrastructure owners. For leaders under pressure to scale with fewer resources, the future isn’t coming someday. It’s here. 

From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs 

Sean set the tone with a blunt observation:  

Nobody went to school to check RFDS tables all day. The idea was to start the company to automate everything on the services side—from architecture and engineering, to site acquisition, to permitting. We wanted to bring real tangible results to solve big problems.

That frustration led to the creation of Inorsa—the first AI-enabled service platform for infrastructure assets. Unlike generic automation tools, Inorsa is purpose-built for telecom, designed to ingest unstructured data, validate it, and generate the deliverables that get sites activated faster. 

The result? Weeks of work collapsed into hours. Revenue that would have been delayed for months can now hit the books in days. (Read more in our blog Not Another AI Tool: What Inorsa Really Does) 

Efficiency Is the Name of the Game 

For Harmoni Towers, the driver couldn’t be clearer. “The name of the game for 2025 is efficiency, efficiency, and efficiency,” said D.J. Grosso. 

He pointed to a real example: instead of sending a team of 20 people to comb through thousands of documents for weeks, Harmoni now uses AI to surface answers in days. The impact is immediate—leaner teams, faster insights, and lower costs. 

Sean echoed the shift: 

There was a time when AI wasn’t overperforming humans on repetitive tasks. But we’re at a scale now where machines not only outperform, but they also outperform on a scale. What used to take months now could happen in one day. 

The implication is unapologetic: any team still relying on manual workflows is already falling behind. 

Redefining What Work Looks Like 

Of course, efficiency raises the question of people. What happens to the workforce when machines automate what humans used to do? 

Sean didn’t sugarcoat it: 

Nobody’s job is safe—from the admin to the CEO. But what happens when you do something different and apply AI. You’ll be able to focus on growing the business and on things that need creativity. Our role is to make customers the best in class, so they can scale faster and use their teams to build a bigger business.

D.J. added a pragmatic test: 

Any AI tool has to do one of three things—increase revenue, decrease expenses, or increase efficiency. If it doesn’t, I don’t want to see it. 

That lens cuts through hype and reinforces what Inorsa’s messaging makes clear: the point isn’t replacing people, it’s unlocking leverage. With AI handling the grind, teams can redirect their energy toward collaboration, strategy, and growth. 

Private AI and the Guardrails That Matter 

Both panelists underscored that scale cannot come at the cost of risk. Data privacy, compliance, and control are non-negotiable. 

D.J. put it simply: “Data privacy is everything to us. Contracts are proprietary. They have to stay within our organization.” 

Sean pointed out the current state of the industry, where 60–70% of engineering work is outsourced overseas, often without real data safeguards. “That’s not just inefficient—it’s risky,” he said. 

Inorsa’s answer is Private AI: customer-specific models that never cross-contaminate data, trained and deployed within U.S. boundaries. Each client gets their own AI engine—like an employee that never forgets—without exposure to the risks of open-source platforms. 

Why Now: The Train Is Leaving the Station 

The urgency was clear in the final moments of the panel. Adaptation becomes harder the longer you wait. The delta between early adopters and laggards will only grow. And with ongoing FCC AI policy updates shaping compliance and oversight, waiting isn’t just risky—it’s costly. Sean warned: 

This train is already leaving. In the next 12 months, most services will be highly automated. Adaptation becomes harder the longer you wait. The delta between early adopters and laggards will only grow.

D.J. echoed the competitive angle: “There are three ways to win in this business—be first, be smarter, or cheat. We don’t cheat, and everyone has smart people. That leaves being first. Early adoption is how you get ahead.”  

In other words: this isn’t optional. Applied AI is quickly becoming table stakes in telecom. Companies that act now will gain scale, speed, and revenue. Those that hesitate risk losing customers, profit, and relevance. 

The Takeaway 

Telecom infrastructure is at an inflection point. The days of slow, manual, error-prone workflows are over. The future belongs to the bold—leaders who embrace applied AI to reduce time to revenue, enable collaboration, and scale without limits.  

Inorsa is already powering that future. As Sean said: 

Customer obsession is our core value. More than anything, we focus on making our customers successful—helping them leapfrog ahead of others. 

The boldest future is the one you build—powered by Inorsa. 

👉 Ready to see how? Get a demo today