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Partner Content

The Agentverse is no longer a distant concept, but the trajectory of our society. We are moving toward a future where intelligent agents are as pervasive as electricity or water. Embedded across individuals, organisations and homes – and, act as the core engine of a new productivity. The explosion in mobile AI usage is accelerating the arrival of Agentverse. This very synergy—where intelligence meets network—took centre stage at the GTI Summit during Mobile World Congress Barcelona, held recently under the theme “Hello Mobile AI.” The event, which brought together operators, vendors, and ecosystem partners from across the globe, also marked the launch of the joint GSMA-GTI 2.0 cooperation and the Mobile AI White Paper.

Agents Are Already Reshaping Demand 

The scale of what is coming is already evident. AI-related mobile traffic is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 73% between 2025 and 2033, with the crossover point,  where AI traffic surpasses conventional traffic, arriving as early as 2031. Edge-bound AI traffic is growing even faster, at a projected CAGR of 130% over the same period, as lightweight models and agent-driven applications push intelligence out of the cloud and closer to users. 

On the consumer side, the shift is already visible. Approximately 75% of consumers globally now use generative AI applications in daily life, with smartphones emerging as the primary access point, with nearly half using mobile GenAI apps for search, while 14% are already conversing directly with mobile AI agents. The device ecosystem is expanding rapidly beyond smartphones, with AI phones, wearables, AI glasses, and humanoid robots all entering the picture. Shipments of general-purpose embodied intelligent robots are forecast to hit 2.6 million units by 2035, representing a CAGR of 85%. 

On the enterprise side, the AI agent applications market is on an extraordinary growth trajectory, scaling from $159 million in 2024 to a projected $41.77 billion by 2030. More than 90% of enterprises across 32 countries surveyed by GSMA consider generative AI critically important to their digital transformation. The question is no longer whether AI agents will become ubiquitous — it is whether mobile networks will be ready when they do. 

The Network’s New Role: From Pipe to Platform 

For decades, mobile networks operated on a best-effort model, primarily for human-centric traffic—browsing, streaming, and messaging. However, Agentverse demands something fundamentally different: continuous, machine-to-machine interactions that are real-time, multimodal, and extremely latency-sensitive.

Agent services impose a new set of demands on mobile network, including large uplink bandwidth, ultra-low latency, high reliability and high-concurrency connections. The uplink requirement is particularly significant. Unlike traditional broadband, where traffic flows primarily downward to users, AI-driven services generate substantial upstream data, such as video streams, sensor inputs and model inference requests, that must reach the network without delay. 

To address these requirements, the industry is accelerating the deployment of 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technologies. 5G-A represents the next stage in the evolution of 5G networks and is a crucial step to 6G. It comes with capabilities to enable extremely low latency and high uplink capacity, critical to support both AI-driven applications and intelligent network operations.  

Technologies such as Uplink Carrier Aggregation (CA) and Supplemental Uplink (SUL) address the uplink bottleneck directly, bundling spectrum resources to deliver ultra-large bandwidth and low latency for intelligent devices operating in real time. Flexible slot allocation and multi-band coordination further enhance uplink capacity in high-demand scenarios. 5G-A commercialisation is accelerating globally, and the white paper is unambiguous: it is the foundational layer on which Mobile AI will be built. 

Network for AI, AI for Network 

The white paper introduces a framework that captures the bidirectional nature of this transformation: Network for AI and AI for Network. While Network for AI addresses the connectivity requirements of intelligent services, AI for Network focuses on embedding intelligence into network operations. 

Agent services require networks that can identify and differentiate multimodal traffic types, be it audio, video or sensor data, and apply the right quality-of-service treatment to each. For instance, a remote surgery application and a background data sync have fundamentally different requirements and the network must understand the difference and respond accordingly. This demands modal-level service awareness, cross-layer collaboration between devices, edge, network, and cloud, and a shift from the traditional one-size-fits-all connectivity model to what the white paper calls “scenario-customised connectivity.” 

On the other hand, AI for Network applies AI deeply into the network itself to drive network planning, operations, optimisation, and ultimately autonomy. The goal is a network capable of closed-loop “Perception–Cognition–Decision–Execution” across its entire chain, which can predict failures before they occur, dynamically allocate resources in real time, and self-optimise without human intervention.  

Two technologies are particularly relevant here. The Wireless Network Agent enables autonomous closed-loop operations within the radio access domain, using real-time analysis and inference to support network self-management. The A2A-T protocol — Agent-to-Agent for Telecommunications — is being standardised to build a unified, cross-domain, cross-vendor framework that enables networks to parse natural language business intents into network-wide collaborative tasks, moving toward genuinely intent-driven network management. 

Spectrum: The U6GHz Imperative

From a spectrum perspective, as service providers prepare the networks for the booming AI traffic, the U6GHz (6425-7125 MHz) band has emerged as a critical resource for 5G-A. It offers a combination of wide, contiguous channels and the capacity to support high uplink and downlink bandwidth that Mobile AI services demand. Following WRC‑23, U6GHz has been formally recognized as a key mobile communications band. Around the world, momentum is building: China, the UAE, Brazil, and several European countries are actively promoting spectrum identification, allocation, and testing.  Today, 5G-A already offers full support for U6GHz, with mainstream terminal chipsets and the broader industry chain now mature—paving the way for large-scale commercial deployment. Along with U6GHz band, millimetre wave (mmWave) bands can serve high-density hotspot environments where ultra-large capacity and ultra-low latency are required for immersive and real-time applications. AI-driven dynamic spectrum management, enabling intelligent aggregation and flexible scheduling across bands, will be essential to maximise efficiency as AI terminal density increases. 

AI-MOS: Measuring What Actually Matters 

As Mobile AI matures, the industry faces a challenge that goes beyond building the right infrastructure: how do you measure whether it is actually working? Traditional network KPIs [Key Performance Indicators], including throughput, latency and coverage, are not adequate for assessing the quality of a multimodal AI interaction. 

To address this, the industry is developing AI Mean Opinion Score (AI-MOS), built on the foundation of ITU-T Recommendation Q.4072. It is an evaluation framework designed to establish quantifiable, objective standards for multimodal interactive experience across the full value chain.  

The Road to the Agentverse 

While Mobile AI imposes new requirements on the network, it also offers incredible revenue opportunities, from enterprise AI services to new digital ecosystems built around intelligent agents. The operators who move earliest to upgrade network infrastructure and build AI-centric networks, establish ecosystem partnerships and develop new service models will be best positioned to capture that value. Those who treat Mobile AI as a future concern risk finding themselves relegated to the role of dumb pipe in a world where the network is supposed to be the intelligence layer.  

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Press Release

A groundbreaking technology trial – which uses Openreach’s fibre broadband network to detect leaks in surrounding water pipes – has managed to prevent the loss of 2 megalitres of water – equivalent to the daily use of around 10,000 people, in just three months.  

Working with Affinity Water and UK technology company Lightsonic, the pilot uses Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) – which converts Openreach’s fibre optic cables into thousands of sensors that can ‘hear’ and pin-point leaks from surrounding water pipes. 

The project aims to help companies like Affinity Water tackle one of its biggest challenges – leakage – with England and Wales losing around three billion litres of treated water daily through leaks1 – equivalent to the daily water use of more than 20 million people. That’s around a fifth2 of the country’s water supply, highlighting the urgent need for action. Affinity Water, along with the rest of the UK’s water industry has committed to halving leakage levels by 2050.

Developed by Lightsonic – the fibre-optic leak detection platform is currently being piloted in five locations – using Openreach’s near ubiquitous full fibre broadband footprint to monitor 650 kilometres of Affinity Water’s network. In its first locations, and in just three months, the fibre sensing technology was able to locate more than 100 leaks – saving 2 million litres of water a day – equivalent to more than 700 million litres every year, enough to supply around 10,000 people.

Trevor Linney, Director of Network Technology for Openreach, said: “The results of our pilot show that our new full fibre infrastructure can deliver value far beyond broadband – and could prove to be a real game changer in solving real-world challenges like water conservation.”

“Around 20 per cent of the UK’s drinking water is lost to leaks with water conservation a significant and growing issue for the nation. And, what’s great about this technology, is that it can be used to detect a whole range of things – from gas leaks to monitoring the health of big structures like bridges and tunnels. It has huge potential.”

Tommy Langnes, CEO of Lightsonic, said: “Transforming the telecom fibre-optic network into a continuous sensing layer unlocks entirely new ways to monitor utilities. Detecting 2 megalitres per day shows what’s possible when fibre sensing solutions and existing infrastructure are combined at scale.

“This collaboration demonstrates how fibre sensing can deliver measurable environmental impact today, while creating solutions for wider utility monitoring in the future.”

James Curtis, Head of Leakage at Affinity Water, added: “Strengthening how we identify and address leaks is central to our leakage strategy. By working with Lightsonic and Openreach, we’re enhancing our existing detection programme with continuous network monitoring, helping our teams target areas of interest more quickly and reduce the time leaks may run before repair.

“This technology complements the expertise of our field technicians, supporting earlier intervention, better planning and reduced disruption for customers — all by using fibre that’s already in the ground.”

How does it work? 

DAS technology works by detecting changes in the light signal used in fibre optic cables caused by vibrations from a leak or disturbance in surrounding networks. It uses machine learning to locate the exact point of the vibration, and it trains the system to separate background noise – like the rumble of traffic or roadworks, so that leaks stand out clearly — even in busy streets. The technology has big advantages over conventional detection methods, namely:

• Continuous monitoring: Existing leakage detection relies on targeted surveys and skilled field teams working systematically across the network. Fibre sensing complements this approach by providing 24/7 monitoring, so leaks can be spotted sooner and reduce the time between surveys.

• No need to dig: It uses the fibre that’s already in the ground — turning it into thousands of tiny “virtual sensors” – making it cheaper, quicker, and more environmentally friendly.

• Targeted identification: The system recognises the unique acoustic “signature” of a potential leak and highlights an area to investigate – often to within a few metres, so repair teams are directed to the right spot.

• Reduced disruption: By identifying leaks earlier, water companies can address them before they cause significant disruption, cutting emergency callouts and minimising impact on customers and road users.
• Easy to scale: Using the national reach of Openreach’s fibre network means the system can be scaled up across throughout the UK.

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Podcasts

All the gadgets in the world won’t make a community live up to smart-community expectations if the foundational connectivity is neglected.

By Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

Maz Khan, the president of ⁠Vitalis Smart Communities⁠, says the term smart community is thrown around too loosely nowadays.

“Somebody puts up a Nest thermostat and some sort of smart lock and all of a sudden it’s a smart community,” he said, while appearing on ⁠Beyond the Cable⁠ as a recent guest. “Well, that’s not it.”

Khan said he believes connectivity is the foundation of any smart community.

“You can put all the gadgets you want,” he said, “but if you don’t have a network that can support it, all you’ve done is just frustrate the residents and the tenants who are living in that building or community.”

Khan said a truly smart community is one where systems and solutions work together in full integration to make the lives of residents easier.

Seeing connectivity as the foundation

Similarly, he said AI offers lots of potential to enhance the smart community model. He argued, however, that without the foundation of solid connectivity communities will miss out on the benefits of AI.

“I want to look at connectivity as a basis and then build the layers on top,” he said.

Khan, who is also one of the company’s founders, said their parent company, Vitalis, owns and operates a commercial real estate portfolio worth approximately a quarter billion dollars.

Vitalis Smart Communities is mainly geared towards consulting for HOAs, condos, multifamily ownership groups, and developers on their telecom and technology strategies, Khan said.

“We’re right now one of the nation’s leading and fastest growing advisory firms,” he said. “And honestly, I think it’s due to all the hard work our team puts out and the references our clients are giving to the rest of the world.”

Listen to the full interview on Apple Podcasts to hear more of Khan’s nuanced approach towards smart-community connectivity.

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News

AI will be incorporated across customer engagement, network management, and digital payments

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and Safaricom have formed a partnership combining Indosat’s AI ambitions with Safaricom’s mobile finance expertise, aiming to improve both parties’ customer experience.

According to the announcement, the arrangement will cover AI-enabled customer engagement, fraud detection, network planning and workforce development.

The companies said they would deploy AI to enhance customer interactions, from predictive maintenance that spots and remedies network problems before they affect users to personalised product plan generation and conversational virtual agents.

On financial services, Indosat will draw on Safaricom’s operational lessons from M-PESA to strengthen resilience, security, and customisation in digital payment journeys. Planned measures include AI-based fraud and risk controls, measures to keep payments flowing during peak demand and broader merchant and ecosystem capabilities intended to deepen customer value.

Commercial terms, governance arrangements, and delivery timetables were not included in the announcement.

“By combining Indosat’s AI-Native ambitions with Safaricom’s proven fintech and ecosystem expertise, we are focused on delivering innovations that customers can genuinely feel from smarter networks and safer digital transactions to more personal and intuitive experiences,” expained Indosat’s CEO Vikram Sinha.

“From smarter networks and safer transactions to more intuitive digital experiences, this collaboration goes beyond innovation; it is about shaping inclusive digital economies where individuals, businesses, and communities can thrive,” added Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa.

In addition to collaborating on specific projects, the deal will also see the partners share AI learnings regarding intelligent network planning and capex investment, aiming to deploy networks more efficiently.

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News

Work on the Middle Eastern portion of the 2Africa Pearls subsea cable has been suspended after Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) invoked force majeure, saying continuing operations in the Persian Gulf is unsafe amid the widening US–Israel–Iran conflict.

According to Bloomberg , ASN informed customers the cable‑laying vessel is currently stranded in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and deployment through the Strait of Hormuz has been paused.

The paused segment was intended to link Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq by routing through the Persian Gulf, a corridor that has become increasingly exposed as Iranian forces and other actors have targeted shipping in the area.

Industry analysts have told Bloomberg that several other projects planned to transit the Gulf, including the SEA‑ME‑WE 6 consortium effort and Ooredoo’s Fibre In Gulf initiative, have similarly been put on hold.

While much of the 2Africa Pearls infrastructure had already been laid, several landing stations remained unconnected when operations stopped, delaying an expectation that the extension would enter service this year. The broader 2Africa programme , the continent‑spanning system intended to bolster capacity between Africa, Europe and Asia , completed its core loop earlier this year but continues to see staggered rollouts for regional branches.

Beyond the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea corridor has also proved fragile. Work on the 2Africa route through the Red Sea was previously paused in late 2025 amid a mix of permit hurdles and attacks on vessels by Iran‑aligned Houthi forces. The disruption also impacted the Google‑backed Blue‑Raman cable. Those incidents have underscored how geopolitical violence along key chokepoints can ripple through the subsea industry.

Consortium membership and landing partnerships underline the scale and commercial importance of the Pearls extension. Backers include China Mobile International, Meta, Bayobab, Orange, center3, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone, and WIOCC. Regional landing partners announced earlier, such as Bharti Airtel in India and local operators in the UAE and Oman, were positioned to take significant capacity on the system: Bharti Airtel’s role is expected to bring more than 100Tbps of international capacity to India.

Ultimately, the halt continues to illustrate the vulnerability of undersea infrastructure to geopolitical shocks and creates immediate operational and commercial questions for consortium members and customers awaiting connectivity. The interruption may push consortia members to reassess routing strategies, insurance arrangements, and contingency plans for alternative landings to preserve traffic resilience across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

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Partner Article

At Mobile World Congress 2026, Fang Xiang, Huawei VP and President of Wireless Solution, outlined the company’s vision for what it calls the “Agentic MBB”. 

Speaking at the Huawei’s product and solutions launch, Fang argued that the rapid emergence of AI agents is fundamentally reshaping the way we think about network topology.  

Huawei predicts that by 2035, the global landscape will include 900 billion agents, with 90% of these running on mobile devices, creating a paradigm shift for network requirements. 

Huawei’s response is to combine new AI-driven network intelligence with upgraded radio and baseband hardware, aimed at delivering higher uplink capacity, lower latency and more adaptive resource management. 

“Agentic MBB (mobile broadband) is the key step towards an intelligent era,” Fang said.  “It will fully unleash the potential of diverse services.” 

Uplink and low latency to become essential 

According to Fang, the shift towards AI-driven applications will lead to far more diverse and demanding MBB workloads. While traditional mobile networks have been largely optimised for downlink traffic, the rise of AI agents will increase the importance of uplink, low latency, and ubiquitous coverage. 

“As more 5G applications emerge, experience requirements for mobile broadband begin to diversify,” he said. “Different users have distinct network needs.” 

A key driver is the growth of multimodal AI interaction, where agents process multiple types of data simultaneously.  

“For multi-modal interactions, it requires gigabit uplink capability,” Fang said. “Agents must process text, videos, and images at the same time, so they will need five-times the uplink capability we have today.” 

Latency will also become more critical as AI services evolve from asynchronous cloud queries to real-time systems involving robotics, automation, and immersive experiences. 

“For AI robots to be human-like, an end-to-end latency of 400ms is essential,” Fang said.  

A latency of 400ms or less – often termed the ‘Doherty Threshold’ – has long been a metric for keeping user engaged when interacting with a computer. 

Finally, broad coverage remains a limitation. If agent-enabled devices are to expand beyond today’s smartphones to include vehicles, robots, and a wide range of connected objects, high quality coverage cannot be limited to urban areas. 

“Agent-powered devices will extend beyond current boundaries,” Fang said. “We must extend high-quality coverage across villages, roadways, and uncovered areas.” 

Reconstructing the network of the future 

To meet these requirements, telcos will soon be forced to completely rethink their approach to mobile network build. 

The first step, according to Fang, is to shift from a downlink-focussed approach to a more holistic model prioritising uplink, latency, and coverage, as mentioned above. 

Secondly, improved resource management will be paramount. With the networks themselves growing more complex and with billions of AI agents running over the top, manual network orchestration will soon be impossible. Automation must be infused throughout O&M, evolving into what Fang calls an ‘Intelligent Dynamic Management’ model. 

Finally, diversified services and customer experiences will require a closer understanding of the customer’s unique needs, allowing the network to respond proactively to ensure high quality service.  

“By evolving from API-based interaction to service-based intent interaction, the network can truly understand service needs,” Fang said. 

Huawei’s tools for an Agentic MBB 

To support this shift, Huawei has introduced a set of new products and technologies designed to embed AI into both network management and the underlying radio infrastructure. 

Among these innovations is a new RAN Agent. Built on Huawei’s telecom foundation model, the RAN Agent is designed to enable intent-driven network automation. The RAN Agent works as part of a closed-loop automation system covering forecasting, analysis, decision-making and execution. It connects northbound to operator systems via an A2A-T interface to interpret service intent, and southbound to Huawei’s Adaptive Air base stations to implement network changes. 

This RAN Agent is supported by Huawei’s RAN Digital Twin System (RDTS), which models the physical network assets, devices, and the surrounding environment. The RDTS then provides the digital foundation of real-time data on which the Agent can operate.  

Combined, this means that the RAN can autonomously adjust based on the users’ requirements, optimising the network in terms of user experience, O&M efficiency, and energy usage. 

“RAN Agent creates a complete closed loop—forecast, analyze, decide, and execute. This makes true single-domain autonomy a reality, delivering all-scenario experiences, intelligent network management, and ultimate energy efficiency,” said Fang.  

Alongside the RAN Agent and enhanced RDTS capabilities, Huawei also showcased its GigaGreen Plus series, which incorporates new antenna architectures and materials designed to improve performance and efficiency. 

“Powered by innovations in new materials, advanced antenna architectures and engineering, it expands coverage by 15%, sets new benchmarks for energy efficiency, and cuts size and weight by 30%,” explained Fang. 

The series includes the tri-band ultra-wideband MetaAAU and a 256-transmit antenna unit operating in the 6 GHz band. These are designed to support 5G-Advanced deployments capable of delivering up to 10 Gbps downlink and 1 Gbps uplink speeds. 

Huawei also unveiled its next-generation UBBPi baseband platform, which uses a chiplet-based architecture and near-memory computing to increase performance. The system doubles both capacity and energy efficiency compared with the previous generation, while enabling what Huawei describes as “all-scenario cell-free” networking. This involves using distributed access points to eliminate cell boundaries, promoting seamless performance. 

“All-scenarios cell-free is vital to a service-centric experience,” Fang said, adding that that advanced coordination algorithms will allow the baseband to optimise resources across time, frequency, and spatial domains. This doubles cell-edge experience and improves average experience by 40%. 

Preparing for an Agentic world 

Ultimately, Huawei’s is that a network’s ability to understand and respond to the needs of AI-driven services in real time will be vital to operators’ success. By combining intent-driven automation through its RAN Agent and Digital Twin systems with new Adaptive Air radio and baseband platforms, the company is positioning its portfolio as the infrastructure foundation for a future of AI-driven experience and commerce. 

“Together, we will build powerful, green, reliable and intelligent mobile networks,” he said. “Let’s catch the opportunities and create greater value in a fully connected intelligent world.”

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Press Release

• Personalized Advertising Agent – An advanced ad-delivery engine powered by Decart real-time AI video models. Decart’s technology is capable of customizing video advertisements down to the household level using attributes such as language, content preferences, household size, or other non-sensitive demographic categories – enabling hyper-relevant experiences for viewers while improving efficiency for advertisers.
• Small Business Concierge Agent – Leveraging Personal AI’s small language model (SLM) and memory platform deployed on HPE ProLiant servers to deliver an AI-powered “front desk” service capable of greeting customers, managing appointments, answering questions, and supporting day-today-day operations for small businesses.
• Reducing Latency for Gaming – Delivering ultra-low latency streaming for online gaming, the AI Grid brings GPU resources physically closer to players. This can dramatically improve responsiveness and overall gameplay quality, building on the impact of the low-latency technology Comcast rolled out for NVIDIA GeForce NOW and other applications last year.

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Network operator Openreach (BT) has significantly extended their special offer for broadband ISPs, which discounts the charge on 10Gbps Cablelinks for their FTTP and FTTC lines (GEA), nationwide, to just £399 +vat when taken on Layer 2 Switches (L2S) older than 6 months.

Cablelink (Ethernet) products are how Openreach provide data capacity for their full fibre and other connections (i.e. the connection between their fibre headend and an ISP’s equipment). Suffice to say that any discount on this side may also feed down to impact the price consumers may pay for their service from an ISP (more likely for the biggest providers), so they’re worth keeping an eye on.

The current discount is available to ISPs irrespective of whether they’re already taking advantage of the “Equinox” offer for cheaper full fibre FTTP line rentals. But ISPs won’t be able to benefit from it if they’ve previously purchased a 10Gb Cablelink on the same L2S or the L2S is already at capacity.

The original offer was established back in 2024 and had been due to expire on 31st March 2026, but will now run until 30th September 2027. Further details can be found in the operator’s public briefing, although this is perhaps less about the discount and more about encouraging backhaul networks to expand their coverage across the FTTP estate.

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The regulators for the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey have reached an agreement that should resolve a tricky problem, which meant customers of JT’s mobile service couldn’t keep their existing mobile number when switching to virtual operator Coop Mobile (here). But JT has now agreed to support number ports by 17th March 2026, more than six weeks earlier than first planned.

Just to recap. Coop Mobile came about after the States of Guernsey voted in 2024 to temporarily suspend local competition law in order to allow the merger between Sure and Airtel Vodafone to proceed (here and here), which set in motion a £48m deal to build a new “world-class” 5G mobile broadband network across the islands. The establishment of Coop Mobile (Channel Island Co-Op) formed a required part of that agreement.

However, the recent launch of Coop Mobile soon ran into a problem after both Sure and Coop Mobile complained that consumers who wanted to switch to their mobile service from JT (Jersey Telecom) were struggling to do so, primarily because JT was unable to ensure that they could keep their existing mobile number during the port (switching) process (here).

The good news is that both the Jersey and Guernsey Competition Regulatory Authorities (JCRA and GCRA) have now secured a “significantly accelerated delivery timetable” from JT for the technical changes needed to enable Mobile Number Portability (MNP) to the Coop’s mobile service.

GCRA Statement

Under JT’s original proposal, the required system changes would not have been completed before May 2026. Following constructive regulatory involvement and detailed engagement between JT, Sure, and the Channel Islands Co-operative Society, JT has now committed to delivering full MNP functionality by 17 March 2026, more than six weeks earlier than first indicated.

MNP allows customers to switch providers while keeping their existing number, a key driver of competition and consumer choice. While mobile providers are subject to a regulatory obligation to offer MNP to their customers, the technical arrangements that enable MNP between providers are governed by commercial agreements. The revised timetable follows focused action by the JCRA and GCRA to resolve the commercial dispute, understand delivery barriers and press for a faster resolution that better serves Islanders.

JT has provided regulators with a strengthened implementation plan, including a condensed testing phase and adjusted internal resourcing to accelerate delivery. JT has also given “firm commitment” that all necessary work will be completed as quickly as possible. Continued coordination between operators will remain essential to ensure the new deadline is met.

The JCRA and GCRA have welcomed the revised schedule and JT’s commitment to expedite progress but remain disappointed that regulatory involvement was required to accelerate JT’s delivery of MNP to the Coop Mobile.

Tim Ringsdore, CEO of the JCRA, and Michael Byrne, CEO of the GCRA, said: “Enabling mobile customers to retain their existing numbers is a critical component of effective competition in the Channel Islands’ telecoms markets. The earlier implementation date will provide JT customers with an additional choice of mobile provider sooner than previously expected.”

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The UK Government and the Global Coalition on Telecoms (GCOT), which also includes Australia, Canada, Japan, Sweden, Finland and the USA, have today published a joint statement that appears to set out their expectations for how the next generation of 6G mobile (mobile broadband) technology should adopt stricter standards to improve network security and resilience.

The future 6G standard is currently still in the middle of its Research and Development (R&D) phase, and most observers don’t expect to see the first commercial network builds surfacing until around 2030 (a few countries expect early field trials around 2027/28). Suffice to say that a lot of work is currently ongoing to help produce the final standard and develop prototype solutions.

The next gen mobile technology is currently thought to be aiming for theoretical peak data rates of up to 1Tbps (Terabits per second) and may be able to harness radio spectrum up to the TeraHertz (THz) bands, while also using AI optimisations, new antenna designs and other changes to improve network efficiency. By comparison, 5G was designed to work between 450MHz and 52GHz, with top theoretical speeds of up to 20Gbps (Gigabits per second).

However, the GCOT believes the development of 6G networks must also be understood as a matter of broader public and strategic interest, rather than a purely commercial or technological undertaking like with previous generations. In that sense they’re now highlighting how the security and resilience of 6G networks must also be recognised as critical aspects of that wider picture.

“That matters to industry as much as to governments and regulators; we will only be able to maximise the commercial potential of 6G networks if consumers and businesses can trust them to provide secure and resilient services and to safeguard the privacy of user data,” said the GCOT. The full statement then goes on to outline the “critical security and resilience considerations” that GCOT’s partners recommend be prioritised in the ongoing development of the 6G system.

GCOT’s Core Principles for 6G Security and Resilience

➤ Containment:

The 6G system limits the ability of malicious actors or software to propagate through the network.

➤ Confidentiality:

The 6G system is built by design to protect the privacy of user data and able to process and provide data confidentially, e.g. it is secure against eavesdropping or attackers, even for data shared over channels which are not physically secure or known.

➤ Integrity:

The 6G system is able to maintain the integrity of data providing guarantees that any changes to data, as it travels through the network, are perceptible. Equally, the integrity of network infrastructure itself should be assured.

➤ Resilience:

The 6G system is measurably resilient and able to maintain service availability for users even in challenging circumstance – in particular for requirements like emergency or first-responder voice and data services, which must be future proofed in the transition to 6G. This includes secure and resilient supply chains.

➤ Regulatory Compliance:

The operators of 6G systems are able to fulfil the requirements of relevant national regulations and legislation. The following principles set out some of the key technological means for 6G to achieve these outcomes. The introductory text in Sections 3 and 4 provide some overarching framing for Security and Resilience respectively, followed by specific principles in the subsequent subsections. Each principle is set out in grey at the top of each section, with explanatory text beneath.

The aforementioned principles will help to guide ongoing GCOT collaboration on these issues, but they are also intended as a guide for all relevant stakeholders. Speaking of which, a sizeable chunk of the industry has already given its support to this approach, including major companies and network operators like 1Finity, AT&T, ATIS Next G Alliance, BT (EE), Ericsson, KDDI, Keysight, NEC, NTT Docomo, NVIDIA, OREX SAI, Qualcomm, Rakuten Mobile, Samsung Electronics, SoftBank, Telus, Videotron, VMO2 (Virgin Media and O2) and Vodafone (Three UK).

Gabriela Styf Sjoman, MD of Research and Commercialisation at BT Group, said:

“We’re proud to have worked closely with the UK Government on the 6G Security & Resilience Principles, and we fully support this shared commitment to shaping robust, future‑ready next‑generation networks. These principles will guide our approach as we help define the standards, technologies and partnerships that will underpin the evolution of 6G.”

Rob Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at VMO2, said:

“Although the commercial launch of 6G networks is some years away, it is helpful to establish at an early stage the principles that will guide the development of 6G and ensure its success. The principles have been informed by industry input and we are pleased to have been part of this process.”

Marco Zangani, Director of Network Strategy and Architecture at Vodafone Group, said:

“At Vodafone Group and VodafoneThree, we are proud to play a leading role in shaping the future of 6G, including through our active participation in 3GPP. This work is essential to protecting customers from emerging cyber threats and strengthening the resilience of our networks. We strongly welcome the launch of these important principles and the commitment of participating governments to work closely with industry in pursuit of this shared goal.”

The full ‘GCOT Security and Resilience Principles for 6G‘ document then goes on to outline some of the specific features that they want to see implemented, such as built-in support for OpenRAN, support for quantum-safe cryptography from day one, autonomous detection of disturbance and the capability to reroute traffic through alternative access networks, implementation of complementary and augmentative non-GNSS Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems (i.e. in case GNSS is disrupted) and AI-driven mechanisms to more quickly and effectively monitor and respond to potential cybersecurity threats and incidents etc.

Overall, we think the goal of making 6G more secure and resilient by design is a good approach, which seems to have already garnered a lot of international support. But it remains to be seen whether this is something that is going to win support from countries and network operators further afield. Equally 6G still needs to be able to work seamlessly with existing 4G and 5G networks, which won’t follow all of the same standards.