News / Infrastructure, Cloud & Telecom
Distrust in suppliers Published on 28 September 2026 by Christ-loisele (4 min read)
These concerns particularly affect initiatives in artificial intelligence and compliance.
A paradox: declared trust, operational distrust
The report The trust illusion: Why AI and digital transformation need more than a reliable , published by Arelion and presented in Stockholm, reveals a striking gap between the perception and reality of network services. Thus, 93% of surveyed executives claim to trust their current supplier, but only 15% believe it can detect and resolve major outages quickly. Worse: 42% of respondents say their operator regularly fails to meet their expectations, sometimes several times a month.
This distrust translates concretely: 40% of leaders anticipate a major operational disruption in the event of a severe network failure, while 18% fear financial or reputational damage. Yet, 65% of companies cite trust as the dominant criterion in choosing their network services, and 98% would be willing to pay more for an operator perceived as reliable.
Only 15% of executives have total confidence in their operator to detect and resolve major outages quickly, while 98% would be willing to pay more for this guarantee.
Illustration: Lawing Tech AI and digital transformation, the first victims of hesitation
The projects most affected by these uncertainties are those related to artificial intelligence and data, with 49% of initiatives concerned, ahead of security programs (44%) and digital transformation plans (42%). According to Arelion, these delays are explained by the systematic introduction of precautionary measures: 30% of companies have strengthened their resilience protocols or risk mitigation around their strategic projects.
Migrations to the cloud (38%), expansions into new markets (30%), and the launches of innovative products or services (30%) also suffer the consequences of this distrust. The report highlights that operators are primarily judged on their ability to protect against cyber threats (48%), their reliability and availability (44%), as well as their performance in terms of latency (37%).
What this means here: risks for businesses and administrations in West Africa
For Beninese and West African businesses, these data raise major issues. In a context where the adoption of AI and cloud solutions is accelerating, distrust in local or international operators could slow down critical projects, such as the modernization of public infrastructure or the deployment of digital financial services. For example, a Beninese administration wishing to digitize its services might hesitate to rely on a network provider perceived as unresponsive in the event of a cyberattack, despite a general declared trust.
Local businesses, often dependent on partnerships with international players for their cloud solutions or high-speed connections, may also face delays in their regional expansion strategies. If an operator fails to ensure acceptable latency or adequate protection against cyber threats, projects such as the expansion of e-commerce platforms or the establishment of local data centers could be jeopardized. Finally, the willingness of 85 % of the executives surveyed by Arelion to see trust become an even more decisive criterion in the next three years could encourage African players to demand independent audits or additional guarantees from their suppliers.
A market in transition: towards a redefinition of expectations
Arelion’s report highlights an evolution in corporate expectations: technical reliability alone is no longer sufficient. Operators will now need to demonstrate their ability to anticipate and resolve crises while ensuring transparency about their security protocols. For African players, this could mean stricter contractual clauses or a greater search for suppliers capable of providing concrete references in terms of resilience.
In Stockholm, where the report was presented, experts note that this trend reflects a global awareness: businesses no longer want just a functional network, but a strategic partner capable of securing their most ambitious transformations. In West Africa, where digital infrastructure remains fragile and cyber threats are on the rise, this demand could accelerate the adoption of hybrid solutions or local redundancies to limit dependencies.
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