Mobile World Congress (MWC) is just behind us with the focus on how incredibly quickly the digital era is expanding. Telcos are becoming more customer-centric service operators. And while disruptive technologies continue to impact the industry, key trends will become more apparent, including mobile networks on the edge, Open RAN, advanced artificial intelligence and fusing them all through software and automation.
Decentralized & edge
Telecom operators will continue to bring data processing closer to the edge to diversify and create more monetization opportunities. Operators will increasingly move away from centralization, which isn’t always a good fit as it can put too much pressure on the network. Edge computing offers operators more real-time opportunities, higher bandwidth and lower latency than a centralized framework. It also enables advanced data services like streaming, gaming, IoT and wearables.
Furthermore, capabilities from AI enablers that have developed AI “Superchips” have opened possibilities to overcome many previous challenges, like increasing output speed and reducing high costs. We already see many operators deploying their networks on the edge to reduce computational loads on the cloud. As we move to more advanced G networks – 5G advanced and 6G, we will continue to see AI-driven edge computing playing a key role in advanced customer services, network optimization and resource management.
Open RAN
While it’s been a rollercoaster ride for Open RAN, with the uptake until now relatively slow, some of the major mobile operators made commitments to Open RAN in 2024, like AT&T, Canada’s Telus, Verizon, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone, Rakuten and more.
2025, we can expect additional operators to jump on the Open RAN bandwagon as they look to roll out 5G standalone networks, which requires progressive radio resource management. Open RAN brings the possibility of automation, intelligence, versatility and less hardware, with reductions in capital expenditure and operational costs and fewer supply chain risks.
The possibility of decreasing power consumption is another factor that may attract several operators. Rakuten already boasts a 17% energy savings per cell using Open RAN with its RIC-hosted RAN automation applications, and its goal is to see 25% savings using AI/ML models. With open, vendor-native technology becoming an important component in network optimization and automation, 2025 anticipates more operators to test open radio technology together with real-time subscriber-focused analytics.
AI: Swaying the pendulum
A paradigm shift over the last few years is the pace at which artificial intelligence, machine learning and generative AI (GenAI) have infiltrated all aspects of technology. This is expected to continue with AI-native systems increasingly altering processes, driving visibility, reducing costs and powering automation. Analysts predict that GenAI use cases can generate $60-100 billion in new revenue over the next few years, with operators around the globe already seeing positive results, including Orange, Vodafone, AT&T, Telstra and more.
The industry still faces the challenge of accessing reliable data, which is essential for AI success. Data powers some of the most strategic operational and business objectives; however, operators need to resolve the problem of ensuring its accuracy from data dispersed across multiple, siloed sources. This makes correlation cumbersome, time-consuming and often imbalanced. Platforms like intelligent assurance will increasingly help solve some of these trusted data challenges, as they already analyze vast amounts of data on the network.
Software eases the strain
Demand for much higher throughput, up to three times the current rate, is expected to continue through 2030. With the current shortage in spectrum, operators will turn to dynamic solutions to make more efficient use of existing bands, making software a viable option as it offers additional flexibility in deployment and production. The software can be updated quickly, enabling methods like Massive MIMO, consolidated and multi-band RAN to improve efficiency.
With the integration of AI into these software solutions, flexibility will be accelerated two-fold, offering adaptive management, predictability and enhanced user experience. This will be important as more applications go mobile and place more constraints on capacity.
Conclusion
MWC showed us that while telcos are quickly becoming indispensable to our digital lives, they must also be adaptable to the fluctuating metronome. Driving towards an AI-native era, embracing new trends and technologies like open RAN, and bringing the network to the edge will significantly impact subscribers’ quality of experience. This all indicates the pendulum falling on subscriber satisfaction and high-quality customer services. These can only be performed with real-time, granular information per subscriber — bringing all the network components together in a customer-centric focused world.
