Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release  

Manchester, UK – Connected North, the North’s leading digital economy event, returns to Central on April 23-24, 2025, and introduces the co-located Data Centre Summit. 

Hosted by telecoms media and events specialist Total Telecom, Connected North is the region’s premier digital economy event.  

Bringing together the telecoms industry, government, and public sector bodies, the event offers a unique forum to discuss the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the North on its digital journey. 

This year, the event will grow to record numbers, with over 200 expert speakers, 200 exhibitors, and more than 2,500 attendees.  

Major topics to be discussed include the rollout of next generation digital infrastructure like fibre and 5G, the rise of AI, regulatory bottlenecks, and how to shrink the digital divide. 

The event features unprecedented access to some of the country’s most innovative and inspirational speakers, including:  

• Steve Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority  

• Ash Evans, EMEA Lead for Data Centre Strategy at Google  

• Georgia Grimes, Director of Fibre Build, Openreach   

• Rob Hamlin, Chief Strategy Officer, CityFibre   

• Katherine Fairclough, Chief Executive, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority   

• Katie Gallagher OBE, Managing Director, Manchester Digital  

• Claire Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Sheffield City Council  

• Richard Tang, CEO & Founder, Zen Internet 

“The North has enormous potential to become a key driver of the UK’s digital economy, but we still have a long way to go,” said Dominic Beresford-Webb, Connected North’s lead Conference Producer. “Our mission with Connected North is to help companies and communities collaborate on their digital journey and deliver meaningful change.”

Data Centre Summit 

This year, Connected North 2025 will be hosting its inaugural Data Centre Summit on April 22nd at Manchester Central.   

Launched in partnership with the Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region Combined Authorities, the event will bring together policymakers, local mayors, and top industry experts to address the growing importance of data centres in the UK’s technological and economic landscape. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore critical issues such as sustainability, policy planning, and next-generation technologies such as quantum computing and AI. 

“We’re very excited to be launching the region’s first Data Centre Summit in partnership with the Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region Combined Authorities,” said Beresford-Webb. “Data centres are the foundation of our digital world, and the rapid growth of AI means they will only become more integral. We believe this is another area of huge opportunity for the North and we’re working with local authorities and the data centre industry to help them seize it with both hands.”   

Space is limited and by invitation only. You can register your interest subject to approval from the organisers.  

Connected North is a must-attend for businesses, innovators, and policymakers keen to accelerate growth in digital infrastructure and connectivity. For more information or to register, visit Connected North 2025. 

_________________________________________________________________________________ 

About Total Telecom
Since 1997, Total Telecom has provided the connection between the buyers and sellers in the global telecom market. We do this through high quality editorial content and events to facilitate discussion on industry issues, and recognise innovation and excellence by companies and individuals.   

Our community of 120,000+ telecom professionals rely on Total Telecom for daily news and regular in-depth insight, delivered through a number of channels including online, video, social media, and at our series of events.  

Our award-winning event portfolio includes, Broadband Communities Summit, the World Communication Awards, Connected North, Connected Germany, and the UK’s largest connectivity event Connected Britain.   

For more information, contact Dominic Beresford-Webb at dominic.beresford-webb@totaltele.com

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News 

A report published late last month by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has revealed that the UK government risks missing out on the potential benefits of AI for the public sector due to dated IT systems, poor data quality, and a clear digital skills gap. 

The report specifically highlighted five areas of improvement that are needed:  

1. Legacy technology and poor data are blocking AI progress

Outdated government IT systems using siloed data are major obstacles to AI adoption in the public sector. Despite being flagged as high-risk, nearly a third of the government’s legacy systems still lack funding for upgrades, at the time of the report.   

The PAC is urging the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to publish a detailed plan within six months on how it will prioritise and fund upgrades for the most critical legacy systems, and to track progress more transparently. 

2. Lack of transparency undermines public trust in AI

Secondly, the transparency around AI use in the public sector is minimal, therefore eroding public trust. Government bodies are not publishing enough information about how algorithms are used in decision-making.  

“As of January 2025, only 33 records had been published on the government website set up to provide greater transparency on algorithm–assisted decision making in the public sector,” the report read.  

Without clear standards and more transparent reporting, the public may lose confidence in government AI initiatives. 

3. The digital skills gap still remains a barrier

Recruiting and retaining digitally skilled professionals in the public sector continues to be a major issue in AI implementation. The report found that over 70% of departments reported difficulty sourcing AI talent, partly because of large pay disparities with the private sector making the civil service less competitive. Current reforms may not be sufficient to close the gap.  

4. Legacy tech hindering UK’s AI drive 

Many government departments are piloting the use of AI tools, ranging from natural language processing to image recognition. But despite these projects, there is little evidence that these tools are being rolled out more widely. 

One major issue is the lack of a centralised process for combining insights from these pilots and sharing results between departments. Without this more holistic approach, promising innovations risk being overlooked, duplicated, or confined to isolated teams.  

DSIT has acknowledged the gap and is trialling an AI Knowledge Hub to improve collaboration, but real progress will depend on stronger leadership and a more coordinated strategy. 

5. AI procurement needs to re-strategise

The AI market dominated by a small number of large technology suppliers; as such, PAC has raised concerns about competition, innovation, and vendor lock-in. In response, DSIT has committed to developing a dedicated AI sourcing and procurement framework and establishing a digital commercial centre of excellence to ensure better value and broader supplier access. 

“We want to make sure that the AI industry has a government that is on its side, one that will not sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. In a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by,” the report concluded. 

In response to the report, a government spokesperson said that “these findings reflect much of what we already know, which is why we set out a bold plan to overhaul the use of tech and AI across the public sector – from doubling the number of tech experts across Whitehall, to making reforms to replace legacy IT systems more quickly and building new tools to transform how people interact with the state.” 

The Committee has set a six-month timeline for DSIT and the Cabinet Office to report back on progress in key areas, including legacy tech upgrades, transparency compliance, and digital talent reforms. A detailed Digital and AI Roadmap is expected later this year. 

Join us at Connected North, 23-24 April in Manchester. Get discounted tickets here 

Also in the news:
T Mobile completes acquisition of Lumos
Private equity backers could cash in on MasOrange with IPO
Telefónica Tech helps Vecttor do away with physical car keys

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News 

T-Mobile and EQT have finalised their joint venture to acquire US fibre provider Lumos, as the operator looks to expand its fixed broadband offering 

The deal, which was announced last April, will see many Lumos customers transition to T-Mobile Fibre, with the mobile operator assuming responsibility for customer experience, service delivery, and marketing.  

Post acquisition, the business will transition to a wholesale model. T-Mobile will take over customer relationships and use its brand to attract new subscribers.  The joint venture will focus on identifying markets, engineering and designing networks, network deployment, and customer installation. 

As part of the acquisition, T-Mobile will invest $950 million in the JV to fuel the expansion of Lumos’s fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network. 

Lumos currently operates a 7,500-mile fibre network serving around 475,000 homes in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US.

T-Mobile is expected to invest an additional $500 million by 2028, which the joint venture will use to expand its fibre rollout to 3.5 million homes by the end of 2028. Lumos customers will keep their current fibre service, but will gain access to T-Mobile’s support infrastructure, including its retail presence and bundled offerings. 

“T-Mobile is already the fastest-growing broadband provider in America, and expanding into fibre helps us take the next big step in delivering what customers truly want – faster, more reliable internet that simply works,” said Mike Katz, T-Mobile President of Marketing, Strategy and Products in a press release. 

“People deserve better when it comes to their home internet: fewer disruptions, more value, and support that actually feels supportive. We’re excited to welcome Lumos customers to the T-Mobile family and bring them the Un-carrier experience – built around their needs, fuelled by innovation, and focused on making life easier,” he continued. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter 

Also in the news:
Private equity backers could cash in on MasOrange with IPO
Telefónica Tech helps Vecttor do away with physical car keys
Ciena survey reveals AI’s strain on data centre connectivity 

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

New customers considering whether to join UK broadband ISP CommunityFibre (CF), which has rolled out their full fibre (FTTP) network across 1.35 million UK premises (mostly in Greater London), may like to know that the provider will today replace their top 3Gbps (symmetric) speed package with an even faster 5Gbps premium plan.

The new residential package could perhaps be seen as a response to the growing competition in the market, which has witnessed a gradual rise in the number of ISPs offering multi-gigabit capable services and c.2Gbps packages now being relatively common. The shift from 3Gbps to 5Gbps thus helps to keep CommunityFibre in the top tier of performance providers, albeit primarily more useful for marketing than anything else.

The premium package follows similar pricing to their old 3Gbps tier and costs £59 per month on a 24-month term, which includes free setup, a wireless router and a 60-day satisfaction guarantee (i.e. no exit fees if you leave within this period). As usual, the monthly price of this package is locked until March 2026 and after that it will go up by £2 each April, but at the end of your contract the price will also increase by £4 versus your last month.

Community Fibre CEO, Graeme Oxby, said:

“We were originally planning to release London’s fastest fibre broadband on April 1st, but didn’t want Londoners to think our unbelievable speeds were an early April Fools! Truth is, Community Fibre provides unbeatable speeds at the best prices all year round, and there’s certainly no joking around when it comes to that!”

The classic problem with packages as fast as this is that most consumers would struggle to harness much of that top speed, usually due to WiFi/device limits and any limitations of the online servers you’re connecting to (Why Buying Gigabit Broadband Doesn’t Always Deliver). But if you’re happy to pay for it, why not. The rest of the internet will catch up, eventually.

Meanwhile, it’s worth remembering that some ISPs, such as YouFibre (Netomnia) and B4RN, already have packages based on even faster 10Gbps lines (usually averaging more like 7-8Gbps). But those cost a fair bit more, although this isn’t so relevant due to the primary issue of differing network availability.

Speaking of network availability, in London specifically, some of the FTTP networks built to larger MDUs by Telcom (now known as Elevate) did in fact offer 10Gbps broadband speeds to wealthy homes (flats). But that’s not really comparable to the sort of scale coverage that CommunityFibre can provide.

UPDATE 11:23am

Shortly after posting this we noticed (credits to YuGi) that CommunityFibre had updated their website again, this time to add a 2.5Gbps package too. But oddly, the package only shows for a few seconds as you scroll and then vanishes, so I took a screenshot just to confirm that I hadn’t gone dotty. However, it seems to show up fine if you click the ‘Standard’ or ‘Premium’ package tag further up, which is a little odd (it’s £35 on standard and £39 for premium with mesh WiFi).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Customers of alternative UK broadband ISP Gigaclear, specifically those who take their full fibre (FTTP) network in the Northamptonshire (England) village of Brixworth South, have been impacted by a complex network outage since Sunday. This occurred after a car discovered a novel approach to parking by wiping out one of the operator’s street cabinets.

The incident, which started just after midnight on Sunday morning (30th March), appears to have disrupted broadband connectivity to a significant part of the village. As can be seen from the image attached to this article (posted with permission from local resident Nick Wilson), Gigaclear’s Street Cabinet suffered serious damage and must now be completely replaced.

Engineering work like this can be extremely complex and often results in several days of local service disruption. The physical cabinet itself was actually replaced on Monday, but the work to restore and splice new fibre cables is currently still ongoing. Thankfully, Gigaclear have been doing a reasonably good job of keeping local customers informed via their service status page.

According to Nick, Gigaclear has even been making personal calls to impacted residents and offering an additional month’s service for free in the process, which goes above and beyond what we normally see from most other ISPs. The hope is that the first customers should be back online today, and they’re said to be aiming to get everybody else reconnected by tomorrow evening. We’ve reached out to Gigaclear for a comment.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Civil engineering firm M Group Services, which was last year acquired (here) by Private equity firm CVC (Fund IX) and also harbours a telecoms (broadband and mobile) focused division via several familiar brands (Avonline Networks, magdalene, Morrison and waldon), has today announced that they’re re-branding to just plain ‘M Group‘ (sans the ‘Services’ part).

With the legacy of over a century, M Group Services was formed from Morrison Utility Services in 2016. Since then, more than 20 businesses have been acquired, and M Group now consists of a team of more than 11,000 experts operating from over 200 locations.

However, the business now wishes to “simplify” how it refers to and presents itself, “moving away from separate brand names and bringing together its £2.5bn portfolio as M Group“. This is said to be backed up by a “bold new identity“, which is said to showcase how M Group is “greater than the sum of its parts“.

The brand’s new strapline – “essential infrastructure for life” – is also said to capture their ambition to enhance the quality of infrastructure for clients, communities and the planet. The Group’s leadership, teams, expertise and commitment to collaboration and client delivery remain unchanged.

Andrew Findlay, CEO of M Group, said:

“Our new brand reflects our commitment to be the best and most effective partner for our clients. It captures our capacity and capability for maintaining, renewing and reimagining infrastructure to meet the challenges and demands of a changing world.

Across M Group, we will continue building long lasting partnerships with all our clients to support future demands across infrastructure, confident we have the capabilities and deep expertise to continue to deliver at the pace of change the market demands.

Our new brand and values are a golden opportunity to look forward and be excited about what we can achieve for our clients in future. Our values – open, responsible, together, ambitious – are the cultural core of our organisation. They reflect who we want to be, creating phenomenal opportunities for professional and business growth.”

M Group said they’re committed to a sustainable and phased approach to implementation of the new branding, starting with changes across locations, PPE and vehicles from this month. See below for a summary of how this impacts their other brands.

M Group Branding Changes

➤ Morrison Water Services becomes M Group Water, as it continues to provide comprehensive solutions across the entire water cycle.

➤ M Group Energy will encompass Morrison Energy Services, Morrison Data Services and Callisto, to deliver end-to-end energy solutions.

➤ M Group Telecom brings together Morrison Telecom Services, Magdalene, Waldon Telecom and Avonline, to support the entire lifecycle of telecom networks.

➤ Formerly known as Milestone Infrastructure, M Group Highways is the largest highways maintenance contractor in the UK, managing over 50,000 km of road.

➤ Dyer & Butler, KH Engineering and Antagrade form M Group Rail & Aviation, addressing complex challenges across the rail, aviation and defence sectors.

➤ Seeka is a part of the M Group family that will be retaining its brand and most recent acquisitions, AgilityEco and BGEN will continue to exist for a period of time as the evolution of M Group continues. Going forward, BGEN is working together with teams from IDS, PMP and Z-Tech.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

KKR, Cinven, and Providence – now joint owners of MasOrange alongside Orange – could fully exit the newly formed mobile giant

According to sources speaking to the Financial Times, private equity firms KKR, Cinven, and Providence are considering launching an initial public offering (IPO) of newly formed MasOrange as early as next year.

The almost €22 million merger to combine Orange and MasMovil’s Spanish operations was agreed in 2022. The deal, which reduced the number of mobile players in the Spanish market from four to three, faced considerable regulatory scrutiny, much of which was allayed by MasMovil handing over spectrum to Spain’s largest mobile virtual network operator, Digi Spain. The deal was finally approved in 2024, with the merger formally completed shortly after.

As part of the deal, both Orange and MasMovil have the right to initiate an IPO process after a two-year grace period. This deadline will be reached in April 2026.

KKR, Cinven, and Providence, which purchased MasMovil in 2020 for roughly €5 billion, have reportedly been looking to “cash out some of their assets” based on MasOrange’s strong performance.

MasOrange reported revenues of €7.388 billion in 2024, a 1.5% increase on the previous year. EBITDA also increased 10.8% to €2.803 billion, with the newly merged operator saying it had already achieved around €120 million of the €500 million in synergistic cost savings expected from the deal.

Related savings are expected to increase to over €300 million this year.

Sources note that no formal decision has been made on the IPO, but if it does proceed it would present an opportunity for Orange to buy-out the private equity trio and so gain a controlling stake in MasOrange.

In related news, MasOrange and Vodafone’s prospective fibre network joint venture is already drawing significant interest from investors. According to reports, the companies have already received a number of non-binding offers for a 40% stake in the business, with 10 possible investors rumoured to be in negotiations over bids.

The joint venture will be formally created later this year, with fibre footprint covering more than 12 million premises.

Keep up to date with the latest telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter, three times weekly to your inbox

Also in the news:
Quickline to extend Yorkshire’s Project Gigabit rollout
‘Adapt or die’: VOX Solutions’ message to telcos in the age of AI
Huawei’s ushers in the AI era with raft of new solutions at MWC 2025

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Three Business, the business-to-business arm of mobile network operator Three UK, has today revealed it has reached 1 million customers. This might not seem like a big number for an operator with an overall base of 10.9 million customers (mostly residential / domestic users), but it reflects rapid growth over the last 4 years “from a virtual standing start“.

Mike Tomlinson, MD of Three Business, said: “We are delighted to achieve this significant milestone and even more pleased to see the market responding positively to what we have to offer. Our exceptional growth over the last 4 years has been driven by staying true to our principles; to focus only on what customers need and deliver it to a high standard and for great value. Technology has helped us to keep costs down even when scaling quickly.”

“All of our partners share our vision and we are grateful for their support. Thank you to all our customers, we will continue to do our utmost to deliver for you.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network analyst firm Streetwave, which is harnessing bin lorries to map the coverage and performance of 4G and 5G mobile (broadband) networks across 113 UK councils, has said its data “calls into question” Ofcom’s claim that 88-89% of the UK’s landmass (geographic coverage) can access a 4G network if you look across all operators.

Accurately measuring mobile network coverage and performance is a notoriously difficult task, not least because end-users are always moving through different areas (indoor, outdoor and underground), using different devices with different capabilities and the surrounding environment is ever changeable (weather, trees, buildings etc.). All of this can impact signal quality, and that’s before we consider the differences in network (backhaul) capacity or spectrum allocations between both mast/cell locations and operators.

Ofcom’s data, which is particularly important because the government often uses it as a base for both measuring and setting related policies, is typically based on the estimates of network coverage and performance put out by the mobile operators themselves. This is generated using computer programs that simulate the way mobile signals travel from mobile masts and are blocked by any obstructions such as hills, trees, and buildings.

Many consumers already know, from direct experience, that they should take such figures and related coverage maps (particularly those published on the operators own websites) with a sizeable pinch of salt. In addition, it doesn’t help that Ofcom’s existing coverage predictions are processed into a ‘100 metre by 100 metre’ grid matrix that covers the entire UK land mass.

However, Streetwave has been busy pioneering a different approach, which is both more economically viable than other methods of practical real-world data gathering and potentially also much more accurate. The company has spent the past 18-months harnessing refuse (bin) collection trucks to map mobile network coverage and speeds across various parts of the UK (e.g. here, here, here, here and here).

In Streetwave’s setup, refuse trucks are installed with several off-the-shelf Smartphones using special software (pictured), which run continuous network tests – once every 20 metres in rural areas and 5m in urban areas – as the vehicles go around their routes. We’ve already seen some results from this approach and a few hints (here) that the data may call into question Ofcom’s own figures, which, given the different methodologies, is not surprising.

Streetwave’s Findings

The big change today is that Streetwave believes it has now amassed enough data to show that Ofcom’s figures may be quite far off the reality. The company has so far mapped 113 councils across the UK, collecting over 40 million data points. These represent around 37% of the UK’s geography and have around 19 million people living and working in them. The results collected so far are said to show the following “Acceptable Coverage” levels from each of the four major mobile network operators (MNOs), with EE doing the best and Three UK the worst.

Acceptable Coverage by UK Mobile Operator
• EE – 69%
• Vodafone – 61%
• O2 – 50%
• Three UK – 38%

Angus Hay, Streetwave’s CEO, said:

“A collaborative approach is needed to improve mobile connectivity across the UK. This includes continued private and public investment into the networks, as well as local efforts by councils and planning authorities to support infrastructure investments. Our findings raise significant questions around whether there is need for an extension to the Shared Rural Network programme to further support rural communities.”

However, there are some caveats to consider, as Streetwave’s comparison with Ofcom’s figure is not an apples-to-apples one. Firstly, Ofcom’s data covers the whole of the UK, while Streetwave still has a lot of area left to cover and that may yet influence their overall result. The fact that a lot of the geography they’ve reached is in rural Scotland and Wales may be a key factor here that could throw the overall balance off. Time will tell.

The other crucial factor to consider stems from how this is NOT an identical measurement criteria to Ofcom’s 88-89% landmass range for 4G, which is the one that Streetwave calls out in their announcement – this could risk causing some confusion (major newspapers are notorious for overlooking details like this).

For 2G, 3G and 4G networks, Ofcom define coverage based on the minimum signal strength required to at a minimum deliver a 98% probability of making a 90-second voice call successfully. In the case of 4G specifically, Ofcom’s definition also delivers a 95% chance of getting a download speed of at least 2Mbps. This is fairly different from Streetwave’s definition of “Acceptable Coverage” above. You could argue that Streetwave’s definition is better, but it is not the same.

Ofcom are already well aware of the shortcomings in their data and are working to improve it (here). For example, they plan to improve their own coverage checker by adopting higher signal strength thresholds when presenting local predictions, while also assessing predicted signal strength information at a more granular level (50 or 25 square metres, instead of the current 100 square metres) to determine if it is possible to reduce the local uncertainty to some extent.

The regulator is also examining the use of measured data, including crowdsource data, to build on these coverage predictions (this may or may not include Streetwave’s data). Finally, once the regulator’s new coverage checker has launched later in 2025, Ofcom will move to consider undertaking a larger scale performance measurement programme to complement coverage predictions and enhance their mobile reporting.

A spokesperson for Ofcom recently told ISPreview:

“Our current coverage data comes from mobile network operators’ predictions, which we recognise may not always match people’s real-world experience at a very local level. We are working hard to overhaul our mobile coverage checker, which we expect to relaunch later this year with new and improved data to better reflect what people can expect.”

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Partner Article

At MWC 2025, we spoke with Huawei’s Vice President of Wireless Product Line, Mr Fang Xiang, about the paradigm shift facing operators in the mobile AI era and what this will mean for their networks      

‘With the explosive growth of mobile AI, operators are facing significant changes and new opportunities. For Huawei’s Fang Xiang, speaking after the company’s co-located Mobile AI Network Summit, mobile operators should take a proactive approach to capitalise on these opportunities.  

“We’re beginning to usher in an AI mobile era,” said Fang. “Many AI use cases are already in development, from AI-powered new calling with live translation to agentic AI personal assistants, and the number of AI-powered devices is increasing rapidly too. There are major opportunities here to monetise new customer experiences.” 

His comments echo those of Huawei’s Chief Strategy Architect Dang Wenshuan, who noted during the Summit that user behaviour is becoming increasingly dynamic, with a growing engagement with digital services.  

“With new digital services, every person could be a high-volume traffic consumer at any time, in any place. So, the term hot spot becomes blurred. Any place could be a hot spot,” said Dang. “We can monetise these context-based experiences, whether the user is known to be a live broadcaster, a gamer, or a traveller, or is in specific locations like a stadium or on the metro. Using AI, we can target them in real time.” 

New interactions, new opportunities 

One of the most exciting features of this new mobile AI era is the way in which customers will engage with the network, with natural language, hand gesture and facial expression capabilities improving the quality and quantity of user interactions.  

“Currently, our interaction with mobile networks is mostly limited to our touchscreens,” explained Fang. “Going forward, we’ll have multimodal interactions, including using natural language, hand gesture and facial expression to interact with intelligent devices. This will not only make using AI more intuitive but create many new use cases.” 

This ease of access by which AI services are activated will be mirrored by the increasing pervasiveness of AI-powered devices. In the future, customers’ digital lives will not only be focussed on their phones and laptops, but on an ever-growing list of intelligent devices.  

“The market is currently dominated by smartphones, but in the future, we’ll have many types of intelligent devices, like intelligent wearables, glasses, and watches.” said Fang. “We’ll also have a growing number of AI-powered intelligent robots. All of these devices represent a huge opportunity for telcos.” 

In addition, to these new modes of interaction and an expanded device ecosystem, the types of traffic being created will also change dramatically, with HD images and 3D video becoming commonplace.  

“Soon we’ll be creating more 3D content and content in the virtual space itself.  Customers will be creating content while on the move using their connected devices. They will want services that can help them with that, and networks that can provide service assurance,” said Fang. 

Rethinking network monetisation 

Given the above factors, the possibility for new telco services in the AI era is undeniably vast. To take full advantage of this shifting ecosystem, operators must embrace business model innovation, working to better understand customer needs and create unique services. 

“Operators need to change their mindset towards monetisation,” said Fang. “In the past, operators have monetised their network based primarily on user traffic, but moving forward they will need to focus on differentiated experiences and services.” 

The initial focus for operators will be on developing premium services for high value customers, but Fang is quick to point out that AI will soon become ubiquitous, available to all telco customers and embedded in every mobile device.  

“This is a journey. In the beginning of any new technology’s life, it will be the high-end users that get to benefit first. For mobile AI, this is partly because of hardware requirements, like computing power, that is only available on certain devices,” he explained. “But those barriers will come down with time. Just look at Deepseek – AI inference costs have been reduced by 97%.” 

“This is the same journey we’ve been on with mobile internet and mobile video. As we go deeper, AI technology and mobile AI services will quickly become widely available to consumers,” he added. 

One of Huawei’s key partners in this space, Chinese GenAI company, is an excellent example of the rapidly scaling AI opportunity. The company’s AIGC products, such as generative text, image, video, voice, and real time video call services, are already in use by over 500,000 customers. In addition, last year the company launched its AutoGLM, an agentic AI agent, capable of liking and commenting on social media posts, purchasing reordering previously purchased products, booking hotels, buying train tickets, and ordering food. 

“New services and new business models are emerging rapidly, both in the industry and consumer space,” explained Fang. “Soon, all mobile users will be harnessing AI on a daily basis.” 

Building an AI-ready foundation  

Supporting this myriad of new AI use cases – many of which demand rapid uplink, low latency, and high capacity – will potentially be a challenge for telco networks. Thankfully, leveraging AI within telco networks themselves is already providing huge gains in operational efficiency. 

“We often say ‘AI for network, and network for AI’,” explained Fang, “These two elements are closely linked. Telcos should embrace both aspects to thrive in the mobile AI era.” 

With this in mind, Huawei’s focus has been two-fold, combining their GigaBand and GigaGreen solutions.  

The company’s GigaBand technology focuses on combining multiple bands improving spectral efficiency, helping to improve both uplink and downlink experience for customers. By provisioning multi-dimensional resource scheduling, this technology can allow for real-time human-machine interaction. 

“Our overarching philosophy with Gigaband is ‘all in one, and one for all’,” Fang explained. “Our customised GigaBand solution can handle all devices, all network architectures, and all services in one. This will help telcos to improve their user experience and their network efficiency.” 

At the same time, Huawei’s GigaGreen solutions further simplify the network, leveraging massive intelligent receiver (M-Receiver) technology to help improve uplink capabilities, and deliver a more than 30% energy consumption reduction. 

“This solution can enable mobile operators deliver optimal experience to new services while also reducing ownership cost and their energy bill,” said Fang. 

“We’re helping operators to build a multidimensional mobile AI network and based on that network we can help them provide higher uplink, larger capacity, and wider coverage. This will mean they are well prepared for future business developments and opportunities to create higher value,” he concluded. 

Operators are ready for change  

While AI is far from the silver bullet that will solve all the challenges facing the mobile industry, the overwhelming feeling amongst operators towards the technology is one of great optimism. 

“I have great faith in the operators to use this new technology effectively,” said Fang.  “At Huawei, we’ll continue to innovate alongside our industry partners to ensure that operators have the networks they need to support their customers in the mobile AI era.”