Network slicing: assessing the gap between enterprise expectations and operator deployments

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 more than 430 enterprises across six countries in Africa, from 10 vertical sectors, 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.

This edition of the Industry Checkpoint series focuses on digital industries, highlighting how the market has changed in the last six months and its implications. The report considers four major developments: European operators intensifying their activities in sovereign cloud services; mobile networks growing their relevance with the emerging drone/UAV industry; operators in Japan accelerating their work in the physical AI space; and robotaxi services preparing for launch in Europe.

Mobile is now central to economic diversification across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The region has some of the world’s most advanced 5G markets across the Gulf Cooperation Council states, but large parts of MENA's population remain offline, and the 2026 regional conflict has shown how vulnerable digital infrastructure is. In addition to exploring these areas, this report examines how 5G, AI infrastructure and digital identity are transforming the region and explores what policymakers need to do to support operators.