2026 Mobile Industry Predictions: Insights from Aliaksei Ustauski of AppsFlyer

We spoke with Aliaksei Ustauski, Director of Sales Strategy for EMEA & LATAM at AppsFlyer, about the transformative shifts ahead for the mobile industry. With expertise in mobile-first measurement and marketing technology, Aliaksei shares his perspective on how AI, data trust, and journey-level thinking will reshape competitive priorities in 2026.

Over to you Aliaksei - my questions are in bold:

What's the biggest shift you expect across the mobile industry in 2026?

I think that in 2026 we will see a strategic shift in the mobile industry from channel optimisation to journey-level decision-making built on trust in data.

Mobile has always been where fragmentation, privacy constraints, and signal loss show up first – and by 2026, that reality will be unavoidable across every touchpoint. Customer journeys now span apps, mobile web, CTV, and emerging channels, and they are fragmented by default. As a result, success will no longer come from optimising performance inside individual channels, but from having confidence in decisions made across the entire journey.

At the same time, AI will be deeply embedded in mobile marketing workflows. But AI is only as effective as the data it's trained on. Without mobile-first measurement infrastructure that marketers can trust, AI doesn't create clarity but amplifies uncertainty. That's why the industry is shifting toward modern, mobile-native marketing foundations that prioritise clean measurement, omnichannel visibility, and faster, more confident decision-making.

Which emerging technology will have the most practical impact on operators, MVNOs, and the companies that support them?

The rise of AI in multiple verticals together with refining multi-channel customer journeys that we are witnessing now leads to an increased usage of both apps and mobile websites. The verticals that adopted it the most — e.g. subscription apps — grow the fastest.

We have all the reasons to expect this trend to continue in 2026 presenting, on the one hand, an opportunity to capitalise on (increased usage leads to plan upgrades) and, on the other, a challenge (since usage does not scale revenue linearly and the revenue is capped by plan price, if customers don't upgrade their plan it can decrease the profitability while increasing the need for higher network CAPEX) for mobile operators and MVNOs.

What customer behaviours or expectations will most challenge mobile operators and service providers?

We are still in the early days of the AI revolution, but the way AI can potentially transform specific verticals and sub-verticals might lead to higher expectations in terms of latency, stability, and throughput. Managing it in a way that leads to marginal gains is a formidable challenge for mobile operators.

The price of content development has significantly decreased across the board leading to more content that can potentially be consumed by customers. Same happened with ads/ creatives generation which increases the efficiency of performance marketing. This increased supply of content and (AI-driven) quality of service provided together with rising marketing campaigns efficiency is a new reality.

What risks or blind spots do you think the industry is underestimating as we move into 2026?

The most underestimated risk is false confidence driven by AI layered on top of unreliable data.

Many CMOs are being promised faster answers and automated optimisation through AI, but without clean, neutral, and complete measurement infrastructure, those recommendations can be misleading — or worse, confidently wrong. As AI-generated insights explode, concerns around data accuracy, bias, and explainability are growing, especially at the executive level.

Another blind spot is tool overload. Marketing organisations are already overextended, and adding more disconnected platforms increases complexity instead of clarity. In 2026, the real constraint won't be access to insights — it will be decision velocity. CMOs who don't simplify workflows and unify their view of the customer journey risk slowing down at exactly the moment the market demands faster, more confident action.

If you were advising a mobile operator's leadership team today, what strategic priority should they focus on to stay competitive in 2026 and beyond?

Mobile operators want to grow their customer base and revenue just like any other service provider, and that's driving significant investment in marketing. From a CMO perspective, the priority in 2026 is making sure those investments are guided by clear, trustworthy insight across the entire customer journey.

Modern CMOs need to understand how their customers move between all possible touchpoints and to do so with confidence. That requires precision in how customers arrive at experiences, secure collaboration across internal teams and external partners, and trust in AI-driven recommendations that support faster decision-making. Legacy, channel-centric systems simply can't support that level of complexity or speed.

Thank you Aliaksei!

You can connect with Aliaksei on his LinkedIn Profile and find out more about the company at www.appsflyer.com.