In January Telstra and Accenture announced a proposed JV to accelerate Telstra’s data and AI roadmap.

The JV would comprise specialists from Telstra and Accenture’s Data & AI teams to modernise its data and AI platforms.

Employees will commence their roles in the JV from April 2025, following a period of consultation with Telstra’s Data & AI team over the past weeks.

"The JV is set to accelerate Telstra’s data and AI roadmap, enabling better customer and employee experiences and further extending its network leadership," Telstra says in its announcement.

"It will also see Telstra commence its data and AI vendor consolidation, reducing from 18 partners to two JVs - Quantium Telstra and Accenture."

Kim Krogh Andersen, Telstra’s Group Executive Product & Technology, said integrating AI into Telstra's network is essential to maintaining its leadership.

“This is a truly unique collaboration that will set new benchmarks of what's possible in our industry," Andersen said.

"Partnering with Accenture means we can tap into a global level of scale and investment that will allow us to leapfrog to the forefront of AI innovation.

"And our latest agreement with Ericsson will enable us to further embed AI into our mobile network, delivering a more resilient, programmable network, and more seamless experiences for customers.

"We’ll harness Accenture’s AI Refinery to scale our existing capabilities and transition to agentic AI, which will reinvent how our teams work.

"We’re not just piloting – we are scaling our AI capabilities which means we need to accelerate the modernisation of our data foundations.

"Through this work, we’ll unlock AI-driven processes across Telstra and empower teams to make strategic and data-driven decisions.”

Karthik Narain, Accenture’s Group Chief Executive of Technology, said the joint venture will accelerate Telstra's ambition to become an AI-fueled organisation and global leader in data and AI.

"Together we will build a next generation AI foundation, leveraging our investments in AI Refinery, that will enable Telstra’s long-term strategic goals, while simultaneously developing and deploying AI solutions that create immediate business impact," Narain said.

"This data and AI powered enterprise reinvention for Telstra will deliver a more resilient and reliable network, create better experiences for Telstra customers, and improve the way Telstra employees work.

“We have a clear, shared ambition, and by combining teams from our Center for Advanced AI, global capabilities and ecosystem partnerships, leveraging our $3B investment in data & AI, we aim to set a new standard for how enterprises in Australia and globally can use AI effectively, responsibly, and as a catalyst for continuous reinvention.”