MWC25 Barcelona: With artificial intelligence (AI) dominating the presentations and keynotes at this year’s MWC, the role of mobile network operators in delivering AI has been elevated.
This, as operators around the world actively explore new ways to monetise experience based on speed, latency and other benefits.
AI applications will require specific network capabilities to support functional impact needed by businesses, said Mohammad Chowdhury, founder and CEO of Long Street Advisors.
Chowdhury delivered the opening remarks during a session on the 5G landscape, where telecoms network leaders from Huawei, e& (formerly Etisalat) and Qualcomm detailed what a year into 5G-Advanced (5G-A) has meant for business growth and new revenue opportunities in the age of AI.
Similarly, GSM Association (GSMA) director-general Mats Granryd earlier this week drew attention to the mobile industry’s need to complete the 5G journey, drive new revenue models and harness the potential of AI.
According to Li Peng, Huawei corporate senior VP and president of ICT sales and service, carriers can make the most of AI to fully unleash the value of their networks.
He predicts that collaboration between 5G-A and AI technologies will stimulate double-digit growth in data usage and average revenue per user from mobile subscribers.
“We’re rapidly entering a fully intelligent world. Intelligent applications are spreading everywhere, placing new demands on networks,” he said. “By embracing and evolving 5G, we can unlock the infinite potential of mobile networks.”
Out of the 800 mobile operators in the world, 326 have established some form of 5G network, Chowdhury told guests attending MWC Barcelona.
Over the next five years, the mobile network industry’s revenue growth will reach $180 billion, with 70% coming from revenue growth delivered over 5G networks, he said. This will result in $4 trillion of gross domestic product, which is expected to equate to seven million new jobs.
Furthermore, the GSMA highlights that with 5G scaling past one billion connections, it prepared the foundations for 5G-A’s arrival. As a result, today’s 5G will continue to pave the way for 5G-A in the coming years, giving way to 6G in 2030 and beyond.
In 2025, commercial 5G-A deployment will accelerate, and AI will help carriers reshape business, infrastructure, and operations and maintenance (O&M), said Peng.
In the age of AI, for example, some carriers are already developing O&M systems based on AI agents, he revealed. For network maintenance, AI agents with self-learning capabilities can predict and locate faults, increasing troubleshooting efficiency by 30%.
“New network capabilities will give rise to new business models,” noted Peng. “Carriers can go beyond monetising traffic and start monetising experience itself.”
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