Embracing AI in the 5G era

How momentum is building across the mobile industry

AI is now the most central topic in technology. We are still in the early stages of deployments, but the pace of innovation is accelerating and consumers are starting to use early AI-enabled applications. Major tech companies and governments are striving for leadership, while investor funding has reached unprecedented levels, with the US and China leading the way. AI is a multi-year journey, but the groundwork needs to be done now.

In this latest report from GSMA Intelligence, we delve into the use of AI in the mobile ecosystem. Operators across the world – AT&T, Telefónica, Vodafone and NTT Docomo to name a few – are in the game, testing and implementing AI in different forms. Working together with vendors such as Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia, operators are introducing AI features into their networks – this serves as a solid foundation for the 5G era. In this report, we describe in detail successfully completed projects while listing relevant measurable outcomes.

AI is not only in networks, though. We look at the use of AI by operators to digitise customer interaction and experience (chatbots are just one example) and launch new products and services, including digital assistants, smart speakers and AI-as-a-service offerings for enterprise customers. Finally, we examine the intersection of IoT, AI and 5G – what does it mean for the ecosystem? Why do they need each other? And which use cases are gaining traction?