Generative AI in operator networks: is there life at the edge?

B2B has emerged as a strategic growth area for operators and the wider tech/digital ecosystem. As the digital transformation of vertical sectors accelerates, gaining insights directly from enterprises is key. GSMA Intelligence surveyed almost 900 enterprises from 10 vertical sectors across the GCC and wider MENA region to gain insight into their digital transformation. The research focused on strategic objectives, investment plans, use of technology, deployment challenges, supplier decisions, tech sovereignty, and policy and regulation.

At its recent Global Analyst Event, Mavenir’s core message was that it is back from its recent challenges, recapitalised and refocused. Mavenir’s reset comes against the backdrop of a larger theme playing out in the telecoms industry. Telecoms operators are adopting AI for their internal structural transformation and searching for relevance and a role in the emerging AI ecosystem, as we move towards a token economy that requires distributed pools of intelligence for emerging use cases and workloads. This has major implications for network equipment and software vendors, including Mavenir, in terms of the bets they make.

Mobile operators face a defining moment in authentication. SMS one-time password (OTP) remains widely used and commercially important, but fraud, rising costs and competition from passkeys and app-based solutions are weakening its position. At the same time, the customer authentication market is growing. This presents operators with an opportunity to build on the reach and trust of the mobile number to secure a larger role in a rapidly expanding market. API-based solutions will be central to this.