Sylwia Kechiche (5G evolution), Andrey Popov (AI), Robert Wyrzykowski (5G monetization),
Sam Fenwick (Network APIs), Rupert Bapty (D2D satellites)
This year’s MWC 2025 theme — Converge. Connect. Create. — set high expectations, but the event felt more like a transitional checkpoint rather than an event full of grand revelations. While attendance reportedly returned to pre-pandemic levels, the industry’s sense of direction remains uncertain.
Halfway through the 5G cycle, the question of monetization looms large, leaving 6G on the back burner. Meanwhile, AI dominated the show floor and conference agenda, reinforcing its role as the industry's next big transformation driver.
AI’s presence was overwhelming, but it’s essential to frame it as an opportunity rather than just hype. As Vicki Brady, CEO of Telstra, put it:
“…where I see the biggest opportunity [for AI] is right at the heart of our businesses, networks themselves — our ability to optimize them, to operate more efficiently, and to deliver better outcomes for customers.”
To gauge industry sentiment, we polled MWC attendees on LinkedIn about what was missing from the event. The results speak for themselves:
- 6G and 5G consumer use cases tied at 38%,
- Sustainability and green tech at 19%,
- Data security and privacy ranked lowest at just 6%.
While AI, private 5G, and enterprise monetization dominated discussions, the presence of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) players signals a growing role for space-based communications in the mobile ecosystem.
Table of Contents:
A bumpy road to 5G Advanced
5G deployment has been underway for years, yet operators remain divided on the non-standalone access (NSA) vs. standalone access (SA) debate. While SA is widely recognized as the future and the foundation for 5G Advanced, operators face significant costs and complexity hurdles in making the transition. The GSMA remains optimistic about 5G SA revenue opportunities, projecting additional enterprise market growth of $127 billion by 2030, driven by vertical industries such as manufacturing and public services.
However, such forecasts raise skepticism. Past predictions for 5G monetization have often fallen short, and the industry is still struggling to turn hype into reality. While 5G Advanced promises AI-powered optimizations, energy savings, and improved service assurance, the business case for accelerating SA adoption remains unproven.
The industry’s fixation on futuristic projections often ignores the present reality: most consumers and enterprises still don't see a compelling reason to pay a premium for 5G.
AI: Telcos are investing, but scalable monetization is not yet clear
During our pre–MWC webinar, we asked attendees: What do you think will be the biggest impact of AI in the telecom industry?
The majority (44%) believe AI’s biggest impact will be optimizing network operations (e.g. reducing downtime and increasing the use of preventive maintenance), followed by lowering costs and improving efficiency (26%). Enhancing the customer experience came in a close third with 23%, while only 8% see AI as a significant risk. None thought that AI would bring in new revenue streams.
For the second year in a row, AI has taken center stage at MWC, and the telecommunication industry is starting to see tangible applications. AI adoption in telecom is taking shape across several key pillars:
Optimizing networks and Intelligent RAN
Network optimization stands at the heart of telecom AI. Over the past decade, many operators have integrated machine learning tools to improve various parts of the network. Yet, operators themselves frequently note that they have only just scratched the surface. By injecting AI-driven intelligence into base stations, such as that presented by Ericsson, operators can facilitate greatly improved user experience, reliability and energy efficiency.
Transforming internal operations
AI is also automating key operational functions, historically performed by human staff, such as maintenance, real-time customer support, and fraud detection. While these investments are not revenue boosting, they are an opportunity to greatly improve efficiency and lead to cost-savings.
Bringing inference capabilities to mobile hardware
An especially visible trend is the push to enable AI inference directly onto consumer devices. This is driven by privacy concerns, requirements for on-device inference use cases and the strong marketing momentum that surrounds this topic.
Practically, smaller language models – often around seven billion parameters – achieve results similar to full-sized models when fine tuned for narrowly defined use cases, making them “good enough” for everyday use. The MWC announcements this year suggest that local inference is finding its way into midrange devices, with Samsung’s Galaxy A56 and Realme’s 14 Pro promising affordable AI-enhanced experiences.
On-device inference remains an uphill battle, largely because of battery constraints and the limited capabilities for reasoning.
Edge infrastructure: telecoms’ silver lining?
One area in which telecom operators have found monetization success is capitalizing on the growing demand for AI-optimized data centers. Expanding footprint of AI workloads is anticipated by some to be particularly relevant for edge data centers. SoftBank is collaborating with Nvidia, to find use-cases for real-world AI inference applications, to run adjacent to its RAN. In a noteworthy move, e& recently sold a 40% stake in Khazna – its data center subsidiary – to an AI company for $2.2 billion, reaping a substantial return on investment.
5G monetization: enterprise, consumer, and what’s next?
MWC2025 saw a resurgence of enterprise 5G monetization strategies, with private networks making a comeback.
Exhibitors and panelists showcased already deployed solutions and pilots in manufacturing and transportation, such as the Ericsson 5G network at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. Mobile networks and vendors enticed potential partners from vertical industries to collaborate on 5G solutions. Some of these uses include network slicing (especially for first responders or utilities) — or Industrial IoT optimized with RedCap, powered by private 5G networks, and with coverage supported by satellite companies. However, a significant portion of this investment would come from vertical industries, which may be a tough sell if they are uncertain about the expected return on investment.
The consumer segment remains an untapped opportunity, as highlighted by our LinkedIn survey. A strategic focus on consumer-driven experience monetization, championed mostly by vendors e.g. Huawei or Ericsson, or on home-oriented IoT solutions (as announced by Telus and AWS) could yield faster commercial gains through individual subscribers while simultaneously building trust and familiarity for enterprise clients.
Despite being one of 5G’s biggest success stories, 5G FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) didn’t take center stage. That’s surprising, given that 5G FWA remains the strongest example of successful 5G monetization. Many exhibitors showcased their recent (and often AI-powered) developments in this field, such as ZTE, Zyxel, Airties, and Qualcomm.
Satellites and Non-Terrestrial Networks: hype vs. reality
Satellite communication and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) had a much larger presence at this year’s MWC conference, compared to previous years. This is partly driven by a closer collaboration between the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) and the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA). With satellite companies filling both the roles of exhibitors and panellists, the focus of discussions was around IoT connectivity, direct-to-device capability and regulatory issues brought about by this new landscape.
Our data shows that time with no signal remains an issue in most countries, especially in remote and rural locations. Direct-to-device (D2D) services will provide coverage assurance in network dead zones, reducing the proportion of time users spend without signal. D2D is not intended to replace terrestrial networks, but rather provide users peace of mind that they won’t find themselves unable to connect to the network when they most need it. This comprehensive coverage is especially useful for business applications, such as ensuring lone worker safety.
Many operators have already announced partnerships with satellite companies to bring D2D services to their users. In the U.S., T-Mobile has launched a beta service with Starlink while Verizon and AT&T have teamed up with AST SpaceMobile. KDDI has partnered with Starlink in Japan and Vodafone has signed an agreement with AST SpaceMobile to serve mobile network operators (MNOs) in all European markets.
One of the main use cases for satellite connectivity hailed at MWC was Massive IoT connectivity. 21% of connected IoT devices use cellular connections, and both the agriculture and logistics industries are viable use cases for satellite technology. For the Internet of Moving Things, where asset tracking and monitoring is essential, satellite integration would facilitate connectivity in remote locations that may lack terrestrial infrastructure.
However, satellite connectivity faces distinct challenges, particularly the misalignment between rapid innovation and the regulatory landscape. Since D2D communication transcends national borders, neighboring countries need to coordinate their spectrum management policies and regulatory frameworks — but also satellite companies need to adhere to local licensing regimes. This may require the development of international licensing frameworks and potentially the establishment of a dedicated international regulator.
Network APIs — full steam ahead but little to show for it so far
There were a flurry of announcements around Network Application Programming Interfaces (Network APIs) at MWC, but it’s clear that full commercialization is still some way off. Developers can leverage APIs for fraud prevention, identity verification, personalized experiences, and quality-on-demand services. However, scaling APIs across networks remains a challenge.
In the run-up to MWC, we learned that through Aduna’s work with the three national U.S. carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon), the SIM Swap and Number Verification APIs will be available nationwide this year. Similarly, all the U.K. and French operators are working to commercialize Network APIs – either with the support of the GSMA Open Gateway initiative (U.K.) or as part of it (France). Those in the U.K. already have the SIM Swap API available and are committed to launching the Tenure and Age Verify APIs by the end of the year. Those in France are launching Know Your Customer (KYC) Match and SIM Swap. Bouygues Telecom and Free also announced that they will join Aduna as network partners during MWC. These announcements show that operators are working through aggregators and global frameworks to provide developers with Network APIs in a standardized and scalable way.
Despite the excitement, there were no signs at MWC of major non-mobile consumer brands embracing Network API-based services at scale. Whether or not Network APIs succeed will largely depend on how well the industry can engage with the developer community, how much friction they can remove from the process and whether developers will be able to deploy Network APIs on a global scale. The mobile industry is clearly enthused and working hard to make Network APIs a success — no surprise given the $100-$300 billion opportunity they could enable, according to McKinsey. But the telecom industry has a history of overhyping new revenue streams, from IoT to Rich Communication Services (RCS). Whether Network APIs will break the cycle or suffer the same fate remains to be seen.
Looking ahead: what’s next?
MWC 2025 felt like an interim event — less about “big bang” announcements and more about incremental progress. AI was the dominant theme, with significant buzz around agentic AI’s potential to disrupt operator business models. On the regulatory front, European operators continued their push for consolidation, arguing for less regulation to improve competitiveness. The geopolitical shift in U.S. foreign policy may accelerate EU collaboration, potentially leading to tighter regulatory alignment.
As the industry pivots toward AI, cloudification, and network automation, the focus now shifts to proving monetization strategies. The next 12 months will determine whether AI’s telecom transformation is hype or reality.
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