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Our team comprises some of the most specialised expert analysts in the industry, producing research that serves to tell the stories behind the numbers. Our analysts are often cited in the media and publications, and are available for commentary by contacting our Media Team.
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MWC Shanghai 2025 | Recording and Slides from Satellite and NTN Summit
The Satellite and NTN summit at MWC Shanghai 2025 explored how satellite and terrestrial networks are converging to revolutionise global connectivity — from closing coverage gaps to unlocking new revenue in IoT and enterprise. Discussing how China’s satellite scale is immense: the country has at least three constellation projects, which together amount to a planned 38,000 satellites in orbit. The connectivity extension has targeted new subscribers, better coverage for existing ones, seamless roaming, and service availability for businesses in hard-to-reach areas or those that carry transient assets like logistics and precision agriculture using drones. Speakers: Daniel Li (IoT) Nordic Semiconductor, Product Marketing Manager Pete Saladino Skylo, Global Head of Marketing Barbara Pareglio GSMA, Senior Technical Director, Smart Mobility Lead (Zhou Jing) 周晶, China Unicom, Director I-Kang Fu MediaTek, Senior Director, Advanced Communication Technology Division Meng Li SES Satellites, Corporate Development, APAC Wei Deng China Mobile International Limited, Director, TN&NTN Convergence Technology Dept. Expertly moderated by Tim Hatt GSMA Intelligence, Head of Research & Consulting. Sponsored by Nordic Semiconductor.
Is 5G FWA really disrupting the fixed broadband market?
Author: Cesar Bachelet, Lead Analyst - Fixed, TV & ConvergenceMore than 150 operators in 76 countries had launched commercial 5G FWA services as of March 2025, up from 124 operators in 62 countries two years previously (March 2023). That’s good progress, but is 5G FWA really disrupting the fixed broadband market? The answer is: “yes” in some countries, “less so” in others. There are many factors to consider such as market penetration, competition, availability of fibre infrastructure, and the status of 5G rollouts. Also, operators are taking different approaches in terms of commercial strategies for 5G FWA. Here I wanted to highlight five interesting findings from our research. Nearly half of the operators that have launched mobile 5G services have also launched 5G FWA services. That seems a reasonable strategy, as 5G FWA provides an additional revenue stream for operators seeking to monetise their investments in 5G spectrum and infrastructure.5G FWA gives “mobile-only” or “mobile-mostly” operators a foothold in the fixed broadband market. A primary example is T-Mobile, which grew its market share from 0.53% to 5.01% in the three years to December 2024 thanks to 5G FWA, becoming the fifth largest provider of fixed broadband in the USA.5G FWA adoption will be significant in various markets by 2030. We forecast that 6 markets will achieve a 5G FWA household penetration higher than 15% by 2030: Austria, Bahrain, Czechia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and the USA.Some of this 5G FWA customer growth can be attributed to ‘poaching’ existing subscribers from other providers. With speeds more comparable to traditional ‘wired’ broadband technologies (e.g. cable and fibre), 5G FWA can be positioned as a substitute for these connections, gaining subscribers through attractive pricing (e. g. value for money propositions), more flexible contract terms, and simplicity of installation. In the USA in particular, there are early signs of the emergence of ‘cord-cutting 2.0’. Following on from abandoning traditional pay TV (cord-cutting 1.0), in this second wave of cord-cutting some consumers are also reassessing their fixed broadband, with some migrating to 5G FWA from ‘wired’ alternatives in a quest for better value for money and/or better customer service (or for other reasons).But 5G FWA is also growing the fixed broadband market. 5G FWA is not just cannibalising ‘wired’ broadband, it is also attracting first-time fixed broadband subscribers, whilst also driving demand for additional fixed broadband connections. It is therefore growing the overall fixed broadband market by catering for use cases poorly served by traditional fixed broadband networks, such as:Unserved or underserved areas where deploying wired broadband infrastructure is not commercially viable (or less viable than deploying 5G FWA).Provision of temporary or short-term connectivity, including:For construction sites, festivals, or pop-up shops.For second / holiday homes, or student accommodations.As a back-up connectivity to boost the primary connection or replace it in case of failure.What next? Find out more about the latest trends for 5G FWA and future developments in our upcoming webinar, which will take place on Thursday 10th July at 10:30 AM UK time. My colleague Sahil Itkan and I will cover the following:5G FWA rollouts across key regionsHow operators are using 5G FWA to enter the fixed broadband market or to protect their market sharesCommercial models, pricing strategies, and bundling tacticsOutlook on 5G FWA’s long-term adoption in both emerging and mature fixed broadband marketsImplications for ecosystem players: how to capture the opportunity.Please register here before it is too late!For an in-depth look at 5G FWA, you can also read our recently published report (which includes operator case studies) as well as the accompanying forecasts.
GTC Paris: Sovereign factories vs. distributed visions vs. tomorrow’s RAN – What's missing?
Author: Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence NVIDIA ensured that its inaugural GTC Paris was accompanied by a metric ton of news. Product launches. Partner solutions. Customer success stories. If you pay attention to the AI and/or broader tech spaces even marginally, I probably don’t need to provide a highlights reel. Of course, the vibe on the ground is always different from what makes it into the news. And, since I was lucky enough to be there in person, I wanted to put my thoughts together – including the good and the bad. Having spent some time with the GSMA Intelligence team (in partnership with NVIDIA and Dell Technologies) digging into the technology and market dynamics of distributed inferencing, I was especially interested in the Edge AI story at GTC Paris. I covered my thoughts in a series of videos from the show floor. If you’ve not seen them yet, go check them out at the GSMA Intelligence Linkedin page. Of course, this was really just one small part of the GTC Paris story. Sovereign AI: With fresh commitments in the Italy, UK, France, Germany and beyond, Sovereign AI was the news that stole the show. The message here – both implicit and explicit – was that countries need to own their AI destinies. But where we’ve seen this framed in terms of ensuring that sensitive data does not leave national borders, the vision of Sovereign AI as a way to drive citizen services, foster AI ecosystems and support innovation was refreshing. So too was the tacit acknowledgement that this is essentially telco’s opportunity to lose given their role in connectivity, regulatory fluency, and the successes so far. Scale Up vs. Scale Out: While continuing to push the bounds of AI processing (including compute and networking innovations), NVIDIA was quick to flag support for scaled down form factors in line with diverse customer needs: PCs, workstations, 1U servers…and more. The show floor was full of these, focused on real world enterprise and niche vertical applications. But the core message from NVIDIA and its CEO was generally that “bigger is better”; an overarching focus on AI Factories in the opening keynote set a tone that was later confirmed in a press and analyst session where Huang extolled the virtue of ”big brains.” To be sure, for most use cases this may well make sense. Too much bias in promoting the high-end at the expense of the low-end could put NVIDIA at odds with partners who have a clear interest in driving AI distribution. NVIDIA as AI AND Compute Champion: Any trade show will be largely about self-promo, and that was no different for GTC Paris. But, beyond specific product launches and new market successes, there was a clear message from NVIDIA. AI is just part of a broader “accelerated compute” vision that has always guided the company. This is key to explaining how it used to be a graphics, then a crypto mining darling and now the belle of the AI ball. More than just a company, though, they took pains to remind everyone that they represent an ecosystem, building products from hundreds of suppliers and integrated into the solutions of hundreds of partners. In the interest of growing its competitive moat, this ecosystem role is key. So, too, is making sure the market understands that. With so many supporters and throngs of fans clamouring for the CEO's picture, it was hard not to come away in awe of what NVIDIA has done and the opportunity it's sitting on. Huang's engaging, semi-folksy manner mixed with a good dose of proud boasting only served to bolster his image…and that of his company. So, what's not to love? To be sure, constant, self-serving AI promotion began to wear thin after a while; every recommendation to embrace AI’s transformative power or reminder of AI’s escalating trajectory ultimately lead to more business for NVIDIA. But that doesn’t mean the company isn’t right and it’s exactly the message it should be telling from a shareholder perspective. That still leaves a handful of bigger misses and ignored realities. Sovereign Economics: In his fireside chat with French President Macron and Mistral AI’s Arthur Mensch, Huang’s concise explanation of Sovereign AI’s importance (roughly, the need to control your intelligence) garnered a theatre-full of vigorous nods. Everyone implicitly understood and agreed. I expect the reaction would be similar if you replaced “intelligence” with “national defence” or “food supply” or “industrial supply chain.” Yet, for economic reasons, countries routinely outsource these. This raises a number of questions. Is AI that different? Does every country actually need its own AI assets, built solely for its own use? Can they afford to? NVIDIA execs claim that there are 70 countries with Sovereign AI plans underway. That’s undeniably impressive but comes with the risk of deployments that aren’t fully utilized or as cost-effective as non-Sovereign or semi-Sovereign AI strategies. Costs and RoI: On the topic of returns, it was hard to ignore the degree to which AI rollout costs were ignored in much of the conversation at GTC Paris. Nobody was denying the massive costs of new, high-end AI compute solutions but the recommendation to deploy the latest and greatest (and most expensive) hardware seemed powered by a “build it and they will come” mentality. To be fair, NVIDIA is putting in an immense effort to ensure that deployed AI capacity gets used; via promotion, and examples, and toolkits, and resources, it’s smartly driving demand alongside supply. But once we get past a phase where FOMO drives many investment decisions, returns will come into focus and costs will come into the spotlight. Regulation: The topic of regulation surfaced in a few specific instances at GTC Paris. Telcos, for example, were flagged as a good fit for Sovereign AI since they know how to operate in a regulated business. Separately, Huang espoused a view that AI applications should be regulated, not the technologies behind them. Both points seem logical enough. Assuming that telcos can just navigate the regulatory waters of supporting national AI agendas vs. get bogged down in a regulatory swamp, however, seems more hopeful than realistic, potentially setting them up to invest based on an overly-optimistic view of the opportunity. Similarly, on the topic of regulating AI’s applications, common concerns like algorithmic transparency were mostly dismissed as foolish or just wrong – a welcome message for AI fanboys, but not great when engaging regulators6G and Future RA: Long before it took a leading role in the formation of the AI RAN Alliance, NVIDIA’s interest in innovating the RAN industry was clear. You can check out a Youtube video of the company taking the stage at MWC Los Angeles in 2019 to talk up its vRAN work with Ericsson, among other things. GTC Paris news, in turn, included a reminder of its 6G Developer platform and the 200+ organizations across 30+ European countries leveraging it. There was also the launch of NVIDIA’s AI Blueprint for telco network configuration promising RAN parameter optimization. This all came hot on the heels of a new, scaled-down RAN platform launch (the ARC-Compact) at Computex in late May. Did all of this get a major nod in the opening keynote? Nope. Was the new RAN platform on display in the company’s exhibits? Nope. Show messaging obviously needs to be tailored to the audience but GTC Paris highlighted the risk that a focus on AI Factories and Sovereign AI will overshadow RAN support as a strategic priority for NVIDIA. That’s not great for any operators who want to engage with NVIDIA on RAN and suggests we’ll need to hear more on the front from NVIDIA given the potential RAN opportunity and the investments being made.
Equip your network evolution planning and strategy with GSMA Intelligence Network Sunsets dashboard | On demand webinar slides
Mobile networks are evolving rapidly. As legacy 2G and 3G networks shut down around the world, having timely, accurate insights is crucial for operators, vendors, device makers, and regulators alike.In this complimentary GSMA Intelligence webinar, Radhika Gupta, Head of Data Acquisition at GSMA Intelligence, introduced the Network Sunset Dashboard - a powerful, interactive tool that tracks global shutdowns of legacy mobile technologies from 2010 to today and beyond. This session explored the full capabilities of the dashboard, including a live demo and practical use cases and showcase how the dashboard helps stakeholders plan, adapt, and stay competitive in a transforming connectivity landscape.Understand the global shift away from legacy networks and why it mattersDiscover regional and operator-level trends in network sunsets from 2010 to todayLearn how to customise your search by year, technology, region, and statusGet a detailed view of planned and completed shutdowns globallyThis session was Part 2 of a two-part series. In part 1, we explored the Spectrum module overview and the Spectrum Navigator tool. Explore now.
Spectrum Pricing Explained
Author: Pau Castells, Head of Economic Analysis Over the last decade, our use of streaming, scrolling, and video calls has exploded. To ensure that mobile networks can keep up, operators have invested in 4G and 5G infrastructure and acquired the rights to use additional radio frequencies. With more radio spectrum, users experience greater network quality and speeds.However, market conditions have also changed in this period, but at a different rate than the prices that are charged for spectrum. As shown in our recent Global Spectrum Pricing report as well as in previous empirical research[1], this poses problems for both consumers and operators. If operators need to spend more of their revenues on spectrum, that means less money for investment, which means poorer network coverage and slower speeds for everyone. Let us start from the beginning… How much more spectrum did operators get for 4G and 5G?The amount of spectrum assigned to mobile networks has nearly doubled since 2014. This increasing trend has been seen across all regions, but there is a lot of variation in the total available spectrum. On average, a country in Latin America and the Caribbean or Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, has assigned about 400 MHz, while in Europe and in North America, many countries have already assigned close to 1,000 MHz.[2] This reflects the different stages in 5G rollout and adoption of mobile, as well as local regulator’s ability to make spectrum available.Just as increasing data allowances for users has not resulted in an increase in overall consumer prices, increasing spectrum holdings does not automatically need to result in an increase in operators’ costs. However, that is exactly what has happened. Ongoing spectrum costs have increased as a percentage of revenues from 4% of operators’ recurring revenue in 2014 to about 7.4% in 2023. This is explained by several factors, starting with monetisation challenges.Have mobile operators been able to monetise on the boom in mobile use?Here’s where it gets interesting. One might think that operators rolling out 4G and 5G could capture some commercial value brought by the latest mobile use cases they support. And, indeed, the commercial value of the mobile and internet ecosystem increased 15% per year in the last decade and has reached almost $7 trillion, thanks to the rise of video calls, mobile banking, gaming and other applications. The value to consumers is likely to have been even higher. However, in actuality, very little of this value has been captured by mobile operators. Adjusted for inflation, average revenue per connection decreased by close to 40% over the past ten years. Each MHz of spectrum supports only a third of the revenue it supported a decade ago. For operators, who need more spectrum to deliver services customers pay less for, the commercial value of each chunk of spectrum has dropped. So, are spectrum unit prices reflecting this drop in commercial value?To some extent, yes. But not sufficiently. We calculated what operators paid for each MHz and adjusted for the size of the market and inflation to allow for comparisons across markets and time. What we found is that unit prices (i.e. the price paid for each MHz) have been sliding, especially in the sub-1 GHz band: down almost 75% since 2012. These bands offer good coverage, but not enough capacity to bring 100+ Mbps to densely-populated cities. The ability to serve high-density areas is what higher bands can provide, but their prices have not fallen as much. Overall, spectrum prices are trending down, but not at the same rate as operator revenues. Wait, if prices are dropping, why is the total cost going up?Even though each MHz is cheaper, operators are buying more spectrum to meet consumer needs. A good way to measure total cost is to sum it across all active licences and compare it to the revenues that can be obtained in the market with its use. But since spectrum investments are lumpy (i.e. they require a big chunk of cash at distant intervals), the cost of licences needs to be amortised over their duration. This way, we ensure that the upfront cost of a 10 or a 15-year licence is gradually expensed in even amounts over its duration. Once a licence expires or is renewed at no additional cost, it stops being expensed. This is a standard accounting procedure applied to other capital expenses, such as plant and machinery costs, which are amortised in the books over their lifespan. This gives a solid look at the ongoing expense. We find that ongoing spectrum costs have increased from 4% of operators’ recurring revenue in 2014 to about 7.4% in 2023. That’s a 63% increase over a span of a decade. To state the obvious, the overall cost increases if revenues decline at a faster rate than the per-unit price of spectrum falls and, as mentioned above, revenues have fallen. Importantly, we find large differences in this cost across countries. Yet, differences between operators within the same country tend to be much smaller. This points to policymakers being the driver - something quite obvious in countries where spectrum prices are set by regulators directly. However, in many countries pricing of spectrum is left to market forces and auctions so the influence of policy is not as obvious – we will come back to this later.Should this matter to anyone but the MNOs and their investors?High spectrum costs are certainly a problem for mobile operators, but have they impacted consumers, too? The results of our study show the answer is unambiguously ‘yes’. Governments that have set ambitious digital targets are also unlikely to see these being met where spectrum costs are high. Can anything be done about it?Returning to policy, when prices are set directly by regulators, high spectrum prices are often a reflection of the regulator looking to recover some costs or raise revenue for the government.However, regulators often rely on auctions as a method of putting spectrum to the best use, and the price is ultimately set by voluntary bids. This would seem like a smart, market-based decision. Yet, analysing thousands of licences, we find that decisions behind the scenes shape how much operators pay in auctions too. For example:Scarcity: While the laws of physics determine that the same amount of spectrum is available everywhere, it is regulators (as the single sellers of spectrum) who determine how much of it is made available to the market. If there’s not enough spectrum to go around, prices soar. In markets where the supply of spectrum is scarce, each unit of spectrum is more expensive. Reserve Prices: High starting bids can leave spectrum unsold or lead to inflated costs. 37% of auctions ended at the reserve price, potentially exacerbating the ‘winners curse’ where the successful bid overvalues the asset – a well-established concept in economics.Coverage obligations: Increasingly regulators are imposing requirements for operators to deploy high-speed networks across large swathes of territory, even in remote areas that are not profitable for any operator. This is a noble goal, but clearly represents an additional cost which is often not reflected in the price attached to the license.Undoubtedly, policy decisions wield considerable influence over spectrum costs. Even in instances where final prices are determined through auctions, foundational policies shape the outcomes significantly. Wrapping it upSpectrum prices per MHz are declining, but total costs as a percentage of revenues have increased because operators need more of it AND revenues are falling faster than the price of spectrum. This is obviously a crucial matter for operators, but let us be clear: it is also a concern for regulators. Cost build-up can be detrimental to consumer outcomes such as coverage and speeds because it constrains operators’ ability to invest in networks. Fortunately, there is an opportunity to course-correct in the coming years. Between 2025 and 2030, close to 1,000 individual licences in 110 countries will expire, providing an opportunity to adjust spectrum prices to their actual market value. A rational approach to these renewals and new spectrum bands will help realise the full benefits of mobile technology.For more insights, the full report, which is based on data from more than 250 operators in almost 100 countries, is available here. [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596121001324[2] This analysis excludes spectrum above 24 GHz (also known as mmWave spectrum)
Beyond the numbers: Why AI can’t replace human analysts
Author: Gunisha Arora, Marketing Manager, GSMA Intelligence AI can process data at lightning speed. It can scan millions of connections, chart network deployments, and spot shifts in mobile usage patterns across the globe. But it can’t answer the questions business leaders care about: What actions should I take? What’s driving this change? How will it impact my strategy in six months? How do I stay competitive? In today’s telecoms landscape defined by complexity, competition, and constant evolution - those are the questions that matter. And they’re the ones AI alone can’t answer.The limits of automationAI can surface trends and flag anomalies, but it can’t tell you why they matter. It lacks an understanding of business context, market nuance, or strategic timing. At GSMA Intelligence, we run thousands of forecasts and manage massive datasets across technologies, geographies, and players. While AI helps organise and process this scale of information, interpreting it, turning it into something business-relevant is another story. The sheer volume of data means that even the most advanced algorithms require human oversight to extract meaningful, actionable insights.For example, some operators report a combined figure for 4G and 5G connections, labeling them as “4G/5G.” An AI system might assign this figure to either technology depending on its training - we’ve tested this and seen inconsistent outcomes. But a human analyst can apply contextual knowledge to determine whether this figure represents one technology, both, or needs to be split using estimation models. That judgment is critical to ensuring accuracy and trust in the data.The power of context and communicationA machine can generate a chart, but it takes a human to craft a message. Whether preparing external reports or internal briefings, our analysts adapt insights based on the audience - be it an operator CEO, a regulator, or the media. The same dataset can tell different stories depending on who’s listening. That kind of nuanced communication shaped by experience, empathy, and business understanding can’t be automated.Insight comes from collaborationAI works in isolation. Analysts don’t. We debate findings, challenge assumptions, and refine outputs in real time. This collaborative process across research, strategy, and client teams ensures that our work is not only accurate but also timely and aligned with industry priorities. It’s not just about the what, but the so what and what next.Augment, don’t replaceAI is a powerful partner. It helps us move faster, automate routine tasks, and uncover patterns we might miss. But it’s a tool - not a substitute. The strategic clarity, context, and critical thinking human analysts bring are what turn raw data into real business value.In an age of automation, the human role isn’t disappearing, it’s becoming more essential. AI can enhance our work, but it’s people who make the numbers matter.
Dell Technologies World 2025: Day Three (Distributed AI and Telco vs. IT musings)
Author: Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence Dell Technologies World runs for four days – from Monday through Thursday. As with many events, the last day is a great time to connect with exhibitors and take in some demos in a more relaxed setting, all while helping yourself to all the swag that companies don’t want to haul home. That’s the theory, at least. With meetings in London on Thursday afternoon, I was on a plane early Wednesday evening. No extra Dell-branded Stanley cups or mouse pads for me! Instead, I spent my last day at Dell Technologies World taking in more exhibits, doing a little presenting, and thinking about the intersection of the Telco and IT sectors. How to Think About Distributed AI. It’s no coincidence that the myriad edge AI use cases and showcases at Dell Technologies World align with work we’re doing at GSMA Intelligence; I was there, in part, to present some of our research. You can check out the deck from the red button above. A key message was simply to think about what we mean by “edge.” Where the concept can stretch from just outside a hyperscaler datacenter to the telco network, enterprise premise or even an IoT device, the term is clearly broad. That’s why it’s useful to think about “distribution” vs. “edge;” the edge is no single location. How to Think About Monetization. From a network strategy perspective, operators are more concerned with new revenues and customer experience than with OpEx and CapEx efficiencies. We often position this as “making money” vs. “saving money.” Regardless, both are part of how new technologies are monetized. Cutting costs and delivering efficiencies may not add to top-line growth, but do contribute to profitability. In other words, AI use cases which do drive network or operational efficiencies are still part of the monetization story.Diverse Demands vs. Diverse Capabilities. Of course, if telcos (or anyone else) with distributed AI want to sell the value to customers, they need to know what the customers care about. What their use cases require. While we’ve all been trained to think edge networking is about latency, it’s also about resiliency, data sovereignty, energy efficiency, and cost containment. Most use cases will benefit from a combination. Understanding what that combination looks like is key to targeting sales and marketing efforts. A Telco vs. IT Myth. I ran into a handful of analysts I knew this week at Dell Technologies World. I stood out, however, as the only one with a primary focus on the Telco vertical. To be fair, I could tell this positioned me as something of an odd duck at an IT focused event where servers and PCs and AI integration dominated the discussion. Of course, even if you ignore the fact that AT&T and Verizon were exhibitors at the event, the idea of a thick dividing line between the Telco and IT markets is ludicrous. Dangerous even. Telco is one of the largest verticals for IT sellers. That means operators are putting lots of IT gear into their operations. As mobile networks get increasingly virtualized and embed distributed AI, that will only accelerate. Sure, this was my first visit to Dell Technologies World, but I doubt it will be my last.
Dell Technologies World 2025: Day Two (even more AI, sustainability, dogs, data, …)
Author: Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence The weatherman explained this morning that Thursday is likely to be the first day of the year when Las Vegas registers a 100 degree temperature (Fahrenheit, natch). Luckily, I’ll be on a plane home long before that; several years of living in the UK has made me allergic to balmy weather. In the meantime, the 2nd day of Dell Technologies World picked up where the first left off. What does that mean? Think extensions to show themes, things I simply missed yesterday, and a minor degree of randomness. AI – It’s the Same, But Different. You’d expect Dell to position AI as just another IT workload. It’s risen to the top of everyone’s agenda over the past few years, but Dell – or any of their competitors, for that matter – would tell you that it’s an application they can support in the same way they’ve always supported an evolving set of diverse applications. But, across sessions and conversations, there was a clear understanding (from Dell and partners) that AI is different. New silicon needs, sure. But new powering, scalability, cloud, and architecture decisions to be made. Even the silicon question isn’t so clear; some use cases may require GPUs, but many will be fine on CPUs…laptop CPUs, even. In many ways, this mirrors the AI-driven data traffic considerations operators are looking at. Whether or not AI drives a massive amount of new traffic, operators are not sure. But they are much more certain that it will drive traffic patterns. Is Data an AI Afterthought? I mentioned yesterday that Day One Dell Technologies World announcements included enhancements to its AI Data Platform. The Dell SME on the show floor was eager to talk about it. Almost too eager. Unlike servers brimming with GPUs or the flashy use case demos, the crowd around the Data Platform pod was…well, it wasn’t quite a crowd. You could, partly, blame Dell for this; the pod was somewhat awkwardly positioned between AI Factory demos vs. integrated into the middle of them. That said, we know that the importance of clean, well-managed data is often not top of mind. For example, in our work with telcos on AI maturity, only 30% claimed Data Quality and Complexity was a top three barrier to AI adoption. Amidst all of the other potential deployment challenges, this might not be surprising. Nonetheless, it’s a clear risk – for telcos and the broader market. Sustainability > Efficiency. The default sustainability message for many IT companies is straightforward: our servers are energy efficient. Energy efficiency is clearly part of being sustainable, but only one part. Packaging practices. Use of recycled materials. Product buy-back and recycling. Sustainability services. To its credit Dell’s dedicated sustainability demos had it all. Where they fell somewhat short was a limited focus on the sustainability implications of different network architectures or deployment models. Depending on the use case, some network architectures will be more energy efficient than others. Dell had plenty of stories attesting to this, stretching all the way to running AI models on powerful PCs vs. cloud resources. Quantifying or showcasing those decisions in a simple way – even as a conversation starter for their Services team – would be more powerful. Everything’s Better with Dogs. Just before you get to entrance of the Dell Technologies World Expo there’s a fenced in area. At CES, the fences are meant to contain drones. Here, they’re holding back service dogs…and lots of people coming to greet them with ginormous grins. Airports and hospitals long ago recognized that a friendly pup can help to defuse a stressful situation. Tradeshows aren’t quite as stressful, but benefit nonetheless. Smart Cities at the Edge. Another day. Another demonstration of AI at the edge. Unlike the compelling inventory management story from Chooch on Day One, the standout on Day Two – use of AI in traffic management by the City of Bellevue, WA – involved an operator. In this case, AT&T was running AI workloads on Dell servers in its network to process video from traffic intersections in order to improve pedestrian safety. Much like the Chooch example, though, costs were a primary driver of the decision to leverage edge resources; transport costs for massive amounts of video traffic would simply make the use case untenable.
Dell Technologies World 2025: Day One (AI, more AI, RAN and a smart telco engagement strategy)
Author: Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence London has been unusually warm of late, but still no match for Las Vegas this week. That said, there’s no time for outdoor activities or lounging by the pool since I’m here for Dell Technologies World 2025. Compared with massive industry get-togethers like MWC, single company events are a very different beast. You obviously get a more single-sided view of the market. But company positioning and strategies can also tell you a lot. With Day One in the books, here’s what I came away with. Keynotes, Agendas, Announcements, and AI. Conference content and sessions often get ignored in favour of non-stop meetings. At an event driven by customer engagement, you might expect this to be the case. And, if you were one of those people locked in meetings at Dell Technologies World, take solace in the fact that product and solution announcements tell you where a company is putting its attention. Not surprisingly, that attention has landed on AI, as showcased by its Dell AI Factory enhancements and new solutions with NVIDIA. Circa 2025, nearly every tech company needs shareholders and customers to know it’s focused on AI innovation. A solution ticking all the key boxes – servers, mobile workstations, data platforms, and professional services…backed by a deep partner roster – testifies to the focus. Edge AI in Practice. AI is a wide-ranging topic. An incredibly wide-ranging topic. This is good, to the extent that it means solutions are being built for a variety of diverse use cases and customer demands. It also means that putting AI to use may seem particularly daunting. For me, a showcase on AI in support of healthcare inventory management, backed by machine vision specialist Chooch, brought it down to earth with a real-world example. In the process it also highlighted the importance of edge-deployed AI (in order to address data privacy and cost concerns) as well as the reality that putting AI to use requires much more than AI applications, making system integrator, telco, and IT partner decisions key. The Telco Suite. Executive suites for hosting meetings or demoing kit in a (less noisy) space off the show floor are not uncommon at trade shows. Dell’s Telco-focused suite at Dell Technologies World serves the same purpose. But it’s also used to host presentations and intimate discussions with partners from non-telco verticals. Where operators have been targeting digital industries as a growth opportunity since before the 5G Era, attempting to be a bridge into the enterprise is an undeniably smart strategy. The RAN Solution you Might Not Know. One piece of kit on display in Dell’s Telco Suite is a 4T4R cellular radio. It’s not from a partner and it’s not a mock-up. It is a commercially available radio developed by Dell. It can be paired up with Dell servers running Dell’s own RAN software. Add in mobile core assets from a partner and the result is a complete miobile network. Unless you follow the company closely, you probably don’t know about this offer; it never got a press release or a flashy launch. It points to modest near-term RAN aspirations and a cautious approach to competing with current RAN partners. It also provides a reminder that as the RAN gets increasingly digitized, suppliers like Dell should be in a position to benefit.
Unlock next-gen insights with GSMA Intelligence's Spectrum data | On demand webinar slides
The telecom spectrum landscape is constantly evolving with the rise of new generation of networks and sunsetting of old generations also leading to evolution of regulatory frameworks and policies. Staying ahead in these times requires access to trusted, timely, and comprehensive intelligence. The GSMA Intelligence Spectrum data is your comprehensive source of trusted data and analysis on spectrum assignments - planned and completed, auctions, license lifecycle and obligation, telcos spectrum portfolios and network sunsets, among others. In this complimentary webinar, Radhika Gupta, Head of Data Acquisition, delved into the full capabilities of Spectrum data including a live demo of the Spectrum Navigator, our user-friendly dashboard designed to simplify your access to spectrum-related data and analysis. Discover how you can better analyse trends in spectrumUnlock best practices for spectrum managementExplore the Spectrum Navigator tool including data spanning 200 countries and 1,120 operators, from 1980 to todayThis session is Part 1 of a two-part series. In this webinar, we focused on the Spectrum module overview and a deep dive into the Spectrum Navigator tool. Register now for part 2 taking place on 3rd June, where we’ll explore the Network Sunsets dashboard in detail.
Fibre to the Room (FTTR): Revolutionising Home and Business Connectivity
Author: Sahil Itkan, Research Manager, Strategy In the ever-evolving landscape of digital connectivity, the advent of FTTR (Fibre to the Room) marks a significant milestone. Imagine having fibre connectivity in each of your rooms, ensuring seamless and high-speed internet access wherever you are within your premises. This technological advancement is set to redefine the way we experience internet connectivity, both at home and in business environments.The Limitations of Traditional FTTHTraditional FTTH (Fibre to the Home) setup typically involves optical fibre coming into an ONT (Optical Network Terminal), with a router physically connected to it via a network cable in order to provide coverage to your entire house via Wi-Fi. However, walls and interference can attenuate the signals from routers, resulting in lower speed and data throughput for connected devices in rooms further away from the router. Service providers often install Wi-Fi mesh networks and extenders to enhance coverage, but these fixes can downgrade the overall network experience due to reduced performance and inconsistent connectivity.FTTR: A Game-Changer in Home ConnectivityTo address these challenges, FTTR emerges as a transformative solution. In today's digital world, the surge in data consumption drives the need for reliable, high-speed networks that can support multiple concurrent applications, notably within large households. FTTR caters to these modern demands by providing high-speed connectivity to every nook of your house. It eliminates patchy network experiences and potential dead spots, offering gigabit connectivity and ensuring seamless performance for your connected devices across rooms.Applications and Benefits of FTTRFTTR is best suited to support usage of a wide array of increasingly mainstream applications simultaneously, such as online education, video conferencing, gaming, immersive extended reality (XR), and smart home devices such as security cameras. The growing number of smart and connected devices in modern homes and the flux in data-intensive applications across industries are anticipated to drive the rollout and adoption of FTTR solutions worldwide.Global Adoption and Market TrendsService and solution providers globally are recognising the potential and capability of FTTR technology. By the end of Q1 2025, around 39 service providers in 27 markets had either already launched or are planning to launch their FTTR offerings. The commercialisation of FTTR technology is generally driven by countries with relatively high fibre penetration. Extensive fibre infrastructure facilitates the adoption of FTTR technology by providing the necessary infrastructure to support its deployment, thereby enabling seamless, high-speed connectivity and driving the growth of advanced digital applications and services. FTTR technology is not only revolutionising home connectivity but also transforming business environments by providing reliable, high-speed internet access.FTTR-B: Extending FTTR connectivity beyond homes to businessOperators are expanding their FTTR offerings to cater to the connectivity needs of their business customers by launching FTTR-B (Fibre to the Room for Business). By the end of Q1 2025, service providers in Brazil, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, and Thailand, have either deployed or planning to deploy their FTTR solutions for business customers. This technology is ideal for industries like hotels, providing guests with a seamless experience and ensuring consistent, reliable connectivity in each room. FTTR-B in hotels can also attract corporate clients for conferences and events, supporting a larger number of simultaneous users and applications like live streaming and virtual meetings. FTTR-B can also address the connectivity needs of educational institutions. Schools, colleges, and learning centers are stepping up from conventional ways of learning to new digital learning experiences which results in multiple smart devices operating simultaneously across the campus. FTTR-B could empower the students and staff with high-speed connectivity and a seamless learning experience.Future Outlook and OpportunitiesThe growing momentum around FTTR technology is likely to continue with more operators rolling out and testing their fibre-to-the-room offerings for both commercial and residential users. This presents an opportunity for OEMs, as the architecture involves more CPE to be installed at the premises. FTTR technology will also fuel growth in the IoT ecosystem, smart connected home devices, ultra-high-definition (8K) streaming, gaming, and more. The popularity of FTTR-B among business owners and administrators worldwide provides opportunities for service providers and operators to further monetise their existing fibre network infrastructure.For an in-depth analysis and insights on the future of FTTR and the broader fixed broadband and FWA markets, don't miss our latest quarterly report, “Fixed broadband and FWA, Q4 2024: developments and outlook". This comprehensive report delves into the latest trends, market dynamics, and future projections, offering valuable information for industry stakeholders. Additionally, our spotlight on FTTR, "FTTR: Taking Fixed Broadband Connectivity to the Next Level," provides a detailed look at this groundbreaking technology and its potential implications on the broader ecosystem.
Strengthen your B2C strategy in the digital era | On-demand webinar slides
GSMA Intelligence Digital Consumer Research provides exclusive insights and recommendations on the transformation of consumer technologies and evolution of consumer behaviour in the digital era, drawing on a global consumer survey. Planning for the 2025 consumer survey has just begun, ensuring continued research into emerging trends and market shifts that are shaping the future of digital consumer.This exclusive webinar explored key insights and implications from the Global Consumer Survey. Our experts discussed the latest consumer trends in the digital era, and how to leverage them to capture new B2C opportunities. Whether you are a telco operator, an OEM, or a provider of digital services/content, these slides will offer data-driven recommendations to help you enhance:B2C strategies and messagingCompetition and partnership strategiesTargeting new services and marketsCustomer segmentation strategiesBenchmarking activities
Peter & Christina Go To Cambridge: Insights from a 6G Symposium
Author: Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence and Christina Patsioura, Lead Analyst, IoT & Enterprise The Cambridge 6G Symposium came hot on the heels of the 3GPP’s 6G workshop held in Incheon South Korea. Where the latter included a series of breakneck series of 6G vision presentations and submissions from companies across the mobile ecosystem, the former was a more intimate affair. But bringing together a select set of academics and operators, along with infrastructure and silicon suppliers provided a unique set of insights into the question we’re all trying to answer – what do we want from 6G? From GSMA Intelligence, I attended with Christina Patsioura (Lead Analyst, Enterprise and IoT). We both came away with the same overarching impression; there is incredible anticipation for what we can accomplish with 6G, along with a recognition that we need to learn from the sins of the past. We also went in with different perspectives and technical focuses, resulting in different takeaways. Christina’s Lens Learn from 5G rollouts – It’s well understood that monetizing 5G investments has proven challenging, with promises of tapping into B2B sales being dramatically over-hyped. RoI, then, needs to be front-and-centre in 6G planning alongside loftier goals of 6G serving societal demands in terms of near-ubiquitous connectivity, that will transform the lives of the many, as well as security and energy efficiency. Focus on customer needs – At a 6G event with an audience of academics and researchers, there was an expectation that technical innovation would dominate the presentations and panels. To be sure, topics like THz spectrum, integrated sensing and communications (ISAC), and AI-native RAN were on the agenda. Tech talk, however, was balanced by frequent reminders that we need to align 6G capabilities with actual user demands while acknowledging that future network infrastructure should also allow for dynamic reaction to ever evolving market demands (EG, reduced mobility for servicing a factory with static assets). Avoid “Race to 6G” – As with 5G, it’s expected that many operators will rush to deploy 6G technologies and gain a marketing leg-up on competitors. This belies the fact that research, technology and standards development is a continuum and detracts from the improvements that these standards (or even pre-6G evolutions) deliver. Peter’s Lens A 6G Event without much 6G. The focus on 6G use cases and aspirations vs. a tech-heavy 6G innovation focus was certainly welcome. But, combined with a prevalence of 5G Era technologies getting called out – EG, NTN, AI integration, open networks and API exposure –you might be forgiven if you showed up and didn’t know it was a 6G event. 6G vs. NTN. Integration of mobile technologies and satellite or high-altitude delivery platforms got plenty of airtime at the Symposium. Much more than expected. To be sure, the wave of satellite constellation launches and telco partnerships, combined with the potential to revolutionize mobile coverage, has captured the market’s attention. Of course, that’s happening in today’s 5G Era. 6G and the 5G Continuum. From AI and open networking, to new spectrum allocations, energy efficiency, security, NTN integration, ISAC and new business opportunities, the resemblance of 6G aspirations and innovation to 5G aspirations and technologies is overwhelming. It’s a reminder that 6G will build upon 5G standards and accomplishments. A reasoned, evolutionary view of 6G was refreshing if not what we expected when showing up in Cambridge. It also served as a reminder that the future direction of wireless offers a chance to help the mobile industry to execute against common (well-worn?) goals if we learn from the past and focus on understanding the needs of society, consumers, industry verticals and telcos themselves.
Powering global enterprise IoT | On-demand webinar
As global enterprises scale IoT deployments, they demand seamless, compliant, and cost-effective connectivity. How can mobile operators evolve to meet these rising expectations while ensuring profitability and operational efficiency?We hosted an exclusive discussion with floLIVE and Bayobab on the latest IoT trends, backed by fresh industry research. Our expert panel explored how MNOs and IoT service providers are adapting their infrastructure to meet enterprise demands, navigate regulatory challenges, and deliver always-on global connectivity. Key Topics Covered:The state of IoT adoption and connectivity trendsChallenges enterprises face, including cost, security, and scalabilityThe role of next-gen IoT platforms in enabling global coverageHow multi-network SIM technology enhances reliabilitySecurity measures for safeguarding IoT ecosystemsIoT applications in automotive, utilities, and beyond This webinar was hosted in sponsorship with floLIVE.
What was the role of OSS/BSS in powering MWC25 top themes? | Recording from MWC25
Recorded live at MWC Barcelona, this Intelligence Hour session brought together industry leaders to reflect on the biggest trends from the event. Across four days of keynotes, summits, and executive roundtables, MWC25 showcased the technologies shaping the future of mobile. But one question remained—how did OSS and BSS innovations enable these advancements?In this session, GSMA Intelligence moderated a discussion with operations and billing experts who examined the role of OSS/BSS solutions in 5G monetisation, NTN integration, AI-driven automation, and more.Speakers:Peter Jarich – Head of GSMA Intelligence (Moderator)Dave Labuda – Founder and Chief Scientist, Matrixx SoftwareAri Banerjee – Chief Strategy Officer, Netcracker TechnologyAnshul Bhatt – Chief Product Officer (OSS Business Unit) & Head of Intelligent Operations, Rakuten SymphonyMuhannad Al Abweh – Global Head of Solution Sales | Telecom Industry Leader, InfovistaHaifa El Ashkar – Executive Director, Corporate Strategy, CSG Watch now to get expert insights on the future of OSS/BSS in telecom.To follow up with any of the topics discussed in this session, or to understand how to engage with GSMA Intelligence analysts for future events please contact us.
