Trends Redefining Telecoms in 2026 with the GSMA

Why It Matters

These trends redefine competitive dynamics: telcos can capture new sovereign-cloud and AI service revenue if they act quickly, while firms that adopt AI-first operations rather than incremental automation will likely gain the biggest productivity and product advantages. The outcome will shape regulatory compliance, vendor relationships, and market share between hyperscalers and regional telecom incumbents.

Summary

At Mobile World Congress 2026 industry leaders highlighted sovereign AI and sovereign compute as a defining trend, with governments and telcos racing to host and control AI and cloud services locally rather than rely solely on hyperscalers. Telcos are positioning themselves as trusted partners for regulated markets and smaller countries that hyperscalers may overlook, creating a time-sensitive commercial window. Agentic AI discussions moved from speculative to practical deployments over the past year, while operators emphasized that extracting value requires organizational and process change—shifting some initiatives to an “AI-first” design rather than simply layering AI onto legacy workflows. Debate also intensified around AI-enabled RAN versus Open RAN, with operators seeing them as complementary steps rather than interchangeable solutions.

Original Description

Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence, GSMA, speaks with Sean Kinney, Principal Analyst, RCRTech.

Recorded at MWC 2026, presented as part of RCR Wireless News' MWC Key Takeaways 2026.

Find out more here: https://www.rcrkeytakeaways.com/