The Distillery #19: AI Agents to Scale 1000% & Banking Goes (Mr)Beast Mode

December 2025

Telecoms & Connectivity

Juniper Research

Analyst House

That's a wrap on 2025!

We've reached the last issue of The Distillery for this year. But don't worry, as we'll be back on 15th January (and every two weeks thereafter) with more cutting-edge insights, analysis and trends to keep you ahead.

In the meantime, why not get a head start by downloading our top 10 fintech and telecoms trends whitepapers? They're ideal for long flights, fireside reading, or as gifts for those hard-to-buy-for relatives.

Also in this edition:

• Operators get the green light to launch direct-to-device services in the UK.
• MrBeast is preparing for his toughest challenge yet: entering the financial services market.
• AI agents are scaling fast in customer communications  — here’s what’s behind the surge.
• Our latest insights on private networks, eCommerce fraud, travel eSIM, and datacentre sustainability.

TELECOMS & CONNECTIVITY

Ofcom Gives Operators the Green Light for D2D Services

Earlier this week, the UK’s telecoms regulator Ofcom dropped its long-awaited verdict on the country’s direct-to-device (D2D) future — and it’s all systems go.

Mobile operators can now apply to amend their licences to support satellite connectivity; positioning the UK as one of Europe’s frontrunners. Crucially, Ofcom also approved the use of existing spectrum bands for D2D, while adding protections to avoid interference with neighbouring countries and air traffic systems.

Distilled…

🟣 Expect a flurry of D2D services in 2026. Virgin Media O2 is touting a launch of its ‘O2 Satellite’ offering in H1, while Vodafone looks poised to tap its long-standing partnership with AST SpaceMobile. Be warned, however: early services will be relatively basic — SMS first, with voice and data to follow — as initial satellite coverage and capacity simply won’t be robust enough to support higher-bandwidth services.

🟣 Monetisation is still up for grabs. The big question is whether consumers will pay specifically for D2D, or whether operators will bundle it into premium plans. Both models are likely to appear early on — and either way, our latest figures have UK D2D providers generating roughly $9 million in service revenue in 2027. Hardly seismic, but a meaningful start.

🟣 GSMA data shows over half of UK subscribers are willing to pay more for outdoor satellite coverage, but most only 5–20% extra — roughly £0.65 to £2.60 a month. With T-Mobile’s equivalent priced around £7.50, UK operators will face tough realities making consumer D2D viable. By contrast, industrial IoT, critical infrastructure, and government applications offer clearer revenue potential; making enterprise demand the more credible long-term play.

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FINTECH & PAYMENTS

Internet Personality MrBeast Plans Move Into Financial Services

The world’s biggest YouTuber, MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson), has confirmed that his company Beast Industries plans to enter financial services; alongside launching a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO).

CEO of Beast Industries Jeffrey Housenbold confirmed plans to offer “a financial services platform [...] wrapped in financial literacy and access to the world's information, making sure we're doing good while doing well”.

A recent filing with the US Patent & Trademark Office included plans for mobile app and online services for a range of banking, financial advisory, crypto exchange, and other services.

Distilled…

🟣 MrBeast has the viral popularity to succeed. With over 454 million subscribers on YouTube, Donaldson has the following to make a financial services product potentially very lucrative. By contrast, JPMorgan Chase had 60.9 million active mobile customers as of Q3 2025; meaning that if MrBeast can convert even a small percentage of his subscribers, it could create one of the fastest-growing customer bases in financial services' history.

🟣 Loosening regulatory frameworks in the US mean Beast Industries could enter the market without a major regulatory showdown; particularly if it leverages Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) capabilities from a licensed provider. Our latest forecasts show 67 million current accounts will be delivered via BaaS in the US by 2028; underscoring that this is a proven route to scale quickly.

🟣 Differentiation will be critical. While MrBeast’s viral appeal has translated across multiple ventures, financial services is a far more competitive arena. Attracting younger users who already engage with his content will help, but the proposition itself will need to stand on its own. A focus on financial literacy — as hinted by Housenbold — could provide a meaningful differentiator for younger audiences; offering both utility and a credible route to growth.

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TELECOMS & CONNECTIVITY

What’s Driving AI Agents for Customer Communications?

It’s been hard to escape the hype around AI in customer service, but the numbers are finally catching up. This year alone, agents handled 3.3 billion customer interactions — and by 2027, that figure is set to climb past 34 billion.

To mark the launch of our new AI agents research, we’ve distilled three trends — exclusively for readers of The Distillery — that reveal why adoption is accelerating, and what will matter most as automation moves from pilots to production.

🟣 Marketplaces make agents easier to buy, but orchestration determines whether they scale. The rise of pre-trained agents means enterprises don’t always need to build from scratch. But once multiple agents coexist, coordination becomes the hard part. Orchestration layers that route tasks, preserve context, and prevent duplication are becoming essential; making governance, not availability, the new adoption hurdle.

🟣 Pricing models are shifting to unlock budgets. Consumption-based charging will land first because it fits existing procurement frameworks. But as resolution quality improves, outcome-based pricing — where vendors get paid per successful task — will become more attractive. This realignment reduces perceived risk for buyers and gives CFOs a clearer rationale for scaling deployments.

🟣 Cloud-driven data access improves performance, but enterprise capability is becoming the constraint. Centralising data in the cloud helps agents respond faster and more accurately; lifting business cases. Yet many organisations lack the skills to tune, monitor and refine automated systems. The priority for platforms is offering self-service configuration and analytics — because operating agents, not just adopting them, is where enterprises are struggling.

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ICYMI

The Last Drop

We can’t fit all our work from the last fortnight in one issue, so here’s a hand-picked selection of blogs, infographics, and insights that deserve your attention.

💸 Did you know the average digital wallet transaction will reach $12.55 in 2026? And 10 other payment stats worth keeping in mind for the year ahead.

✈️ Travel eSIM revenue is set to fall 19% next year, as rising competition squeezes margins and forces providers to rethink pricing and positioning.

🛰️ AI’s energy demands are slowly killing our power grids. Is relocating data centres into space the answer — or the start of something far more complicated?

🛡️ Digital goods fraud will drain $27 billion from merchants in the next five years; forcing them to strengthen identity checks and transaction monitoring.

🔐 We sat down with Kigen's Jean-Louis Carrara to unpack why private networks matter for enterprises and how Kigen is tackling IoT’s toughest challenges.

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