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Telecom procurement has remained stubbornly rooted in spreadsheets, emails, and manual workflows – even as enterprises spend millions on critical network infrastructure. But what happens when modern AI technology meets this arcane industry?

Dennis Thankachan founder and CEO of Lightyear, takes us on a fascinating journey from hedge fund investing to building what he calls "the telecom operating system for the enterprise." After becoming obsessed with the telecom sector's untapped potential, Dennis discovered large companies were managing tens or hundreds of millions in annual telecom spend with painfully outdated tools and processes. This revelation sparked the creation of Lightyear – a platform that digitizes and automates the entire telecom lifecycle.

The conversation explores how Lightyear's proprietary dataset, built from thousands of telecom RFPs, provides unprecedented visibility into market trends like bandwidth price inflation and the FCC-mandated replacement of traditional copper phone lines. We discuss the profound impact of AI on enterprise networking needs and management approaches, with Dennis revealing how Lightyear helps customers save over 20% on costs and 70% on time spent managing telecom services.

What makes this discussion particularly valuable is the rare window it provides into an industry that touches everything yet remains mysterious to most. Whether you're managing enterprise infrastructure, interested in AI's practical business applications, or simply curious about how the digital backbone of commerce is evolving, you'll come away with fresh insights into telecom's hidden complexities and emerging solutions. Check out Lightyear's State of Connectivity 2025 report on their website to learn more about the trends shaping enterprise networking.

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