Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 introduced “The IQ Era” as a structural shift in how networks are designed, operated, and used. GSMA’s priorities around completing the transition to 5G standalone, integrating AI into core network functions, and strengthening digital safety signal a move away from simple connectivity toward programmable 5G‑AI platforms built on open APIs, with monetization and operational readiness becoming central design considerations. Networks are increasingly being positioned as programmable infrastructure, where AI‑driven operations, automation, and resilience are embedded from the outset.
GSMA’s opening remarks pointed to three priorities for the industry’s next phase: completing the transition to standalone architectures, integrating AI into core functions, and enhancing digital safety. The frame has moved away from connectivity-centric models, toward platforms built on 5G standalone, AI, and open APIs, with monetization and operational readiness now central to the agenda.
Rather than continuing fragmented AI experimentation, MWC 2026 pointed toward shared foundations built specifically for telecom-grade environments. GSMA’s Open Telco AI addresses the limitations of generic AI models in telecom, particularly where network telemetry, standards interpretation, and operational workflows are involved. The initiative encourages open collaboration across models, datasets, compute resources, tools, and benchmarks tailored to the needs of telecom environments.
Open Telco AI introduced a dedicated portal and a Telco Capability Index to track model performance on telecom-specific tasks, ensuring comparability and accountability. Early contributions reflect an industry increasingly treating AI capability as a benchmarked, buildable foundation rather than a conceptual idea.
Contributions Under Open Telco AI
| Contributor | Contribution type | Description |
| AT&T | Open AI models | Released a family of open telecom‑focused models trained on publicly available datasets, designed for telecom‑specific tasks and portability across hardware and cloud environments |
| AMD | Compute infrastructure | Provided GPU‑based compute platforms, with cloud delivery supported through TensorWave, to enable model training and benchmarking |
| GSMA | Platform and benchmarking | Introduced the Open Telco AI portal and Telco Capability Index to track model performance across telecom‑grade use cases |
Separately, GSMA launched the Mobile AI Innovation Initiative alongside China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, targeting real-time perception, optimization, and decision-making, underpinned by edge execution and deterministic services.
MWC 2026 shifted the focus of 5G from rollout milestones to revenue realization, framing standalone network investment as a prerequisite for monetizable, platform‑led growth. Standalone architectures were discussed as the control layer that enables operators to package, price, and expose network capabilities in commercially viable ways rather than simply deliver connectivity. The 5G Future Summit reinforced this shift by explicitly positioning programmable networks as the foundation for sustained enterprise revenue, highlighting how standardized APIs, particularly GSMA Open Gateway, are being used to translate standalone capabilities such as network slicing, quality‑of‑service control, and network exposure functions into repeatable B2B services and ecosystem‑driven monetization models.3. Enterprise Operational Environments Are Shaping Network Requirements
MWC 2026 highlighted that enterprise environments are now actively setting network architecture requirements rather than adapting to existing connectivity models. The Airport of the Future exhibition illustrated this shift by presenting airports as dynamic, optimized operational environments. A live Motional Digital Twin of the exhibition space, built on Outsight’s Spatial AI and 3D LiDAR sensing, generated a real‑time replica that continuously tracked passenger behavior, queue dynamics, and asset usage.
Beyond the application layer, the demonstration underscored clear network implications. Environments operating on persistent spatial data and real‑time operational loops require predictable coverage, low‑latency data exchange, and localized processing that cannot be reliably supported by best‑effort public networks alone. This reinforced the role of private and dedicated 5G deployments, edge‑resident analytics, and policy‑driven traffic management as foundational enablers for enterprise operations where performance assurance, isolation, and operational control are critical. MWC’s Connected Industries positioning extended this logic across manufacturing, mobility, and financial services, signaling that operational workflows and the need for controlled, purpose‑built connectivity are increasingly driving network design ahead of consumer‑focused metrics.
Satellite connectivity at MWC 2026 was positioned as an integrated part of the broader connectivity model rather than a niche extension of mobile networks. A joint initiative between GSMA Foundry and the European Space Agency (ESA) announced up to €100 million in funding to step up the collaboration between space and mobile ecosystems.
The program outlined commercial pathways such as AI-driven orchestration across multi-orbit satellite and terrestrial networks, direct-to-device pilots, shared 5G and 6G hubs as testbeds, and 6G innovation focused on edge intelligence and advanced IoT. Standards alignment and committed funding together suggest this is being structured for repeatable deployment, not one-off trials.
MWC 2026 clarified that network redesign is underway—oriented around intelligence execution, capability exposure, and operational control rather than connectivity expansion. AI, APIs, and hybrid architectures are being treated as interconnected design elements, with network value increasingly tied to how well capabilities are standardized, governed, and integrated into enterprise environments.
It also indicated a visible shift away from closed, operator-centric models toward infrastructure designed for external use. The combined push for telecom-grade AI, standalone capabilities, and API exposure is oriented toward network functions that are measurable and usable across ecosystems, not just internally or for consumer traffic.
The emphasis on 5G standalone, network exposure functions, and standardized APIs suggests that competitive advantage will depend on how effectively operators expose and manage capabilities such as slicing, quality-of-service control, and security for enterprise integration.
The adoption of shared models, datasets, and performance indices marks a shift toward treating AI as an operational capability that can be evaluated and aligned across providers. This influences expectations for assurance, automation, and service consistency.
Use cases involving continuous sensing, optimization, and real-time decision loops, as seen in digital twin and edge-driven deployments, are establishing requirements for latency, reliability, and orchestration, especially in complex and distributed environments.
MWC 2026 was presented not as a preview of distant technologies, but as evidence of how network architectures are being reshaped for repeatable enterprise use. As intelligence becomes embedded, exposure becomes standardized, and hybrid connectivity becomes structured, network design priorities are shifting toward predictability, integration readiness, and operational fit.
By Sahaj Kumar, Research Director, and Jatin Gulati, Research Analyst, Avasant
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