GSMA Intelligence has identified five trends that will shape 5G and network transformation in 2026, highlighting how operators are adapting their strategies amid evolving technology, market and geopolitical pressures.
Beyond 5G
GSMA said integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) and advanced positioning capabilities are set to dominate 5G-Advanced and 6G messaging, reflecting an extension of existing 5G-era B2B monetisation strategies rather than a shift to entirely new service models.
Although suppliers began promoting 5G-Advanced and 6G several years ago, progress has been slow, largely due to operators’ ongoing struggles to monetise 5G. Even so, as early 5G-Advanced deployments and 6G research programmes advance, interest in beyond-5G technologies is expected to grow through 2026.
GSMA noted that IoT enhancements will remain central to operator strategies, as IoT originally underpinned the business case for 5G. Innovations such as ISAC and improved positioning accuracy align well with enterprise use cases, particularly those linked to security and asset tracking.
The industry body cautioned that operators risk missing opportunities if they focus only on incremental improvements to existing services, rather than exploring new business models enabled by next-generation networks. At the same time, technology suppliers are urged to clearly demonstrate how ISAC and 5G-Advanced positioning can be monetised, as viable business models for these technologies are still emerging.
Networks for AI
GSMA said artificial intelligence will continue to be used primarily by operators to improve network efficiency and performance, but the industry is beginning to shift toward supporting and monetising AI-driven services.
Operators have long applied AI to network planning, energy management, troubleshooting and optimisation, and this operational focus remains dominant despite growing interest in generative AI. Most AI initiatives announced in 2025 were centred on network operations, with about two thirds of operators identifying network optimisation as their main AI use case.
At the same time, GSMA noted a growing emphasis on revenue generation, with operators exploring how their networks can support AI workloads and enable new customer-facing AI services. Building on momentum from MWC25, investments in AI capacity and commercial expertise are expected to increase as operators seek to monetise AI traffic.
GSMA highlighted that AI traffic will place different demands on networks, requiring operators to adapt to new traffic patterns such as transient, distributed and low-bandwidth AI workloads. It also pointed to hyperscalers as potential partners, noting that their AI expertise and understanding of emerging business models could help operators overcome skills gaps and unlock new revenue opportunities from AI-enabled services.
Cloud for (sovereign) AI
GSMA said cloud and IT technologies are set to account for a growing share of operator investment, driven by rising AI workloads and the push toward sovereign AI and digital service strategies.
While the core elements of mobile networks remain RAN, core, transport and OSS/BSS, cloudification has changed how and where these functions are deployed, shifting them from dedicated hardware to software running on cloud infrastructure across multiple locations. As a result, operators are increasingly prioritising cloud and IT technologies in their network strategies.
GSMA noted that investment plans reflect this shift, with data centres, public cloud and edge computing emerging as the top areas of focus for AI-related spending. The move toward sovereign AI initiatives is also expected to accelerate operator investment in their own cloud capabilities, rather than relying entirely on third-party providers.
The industry body highlighted the need for operators to strengthen cloud and IT skills, as a lack of internal expertise remains a key barrier to AI deployment. It also said public cloud providers must demonstrate interoperability, as operators place a higher value on the ability to switch between cloud platforms to avoid lock-in, improve resilience and support flexible, hybrid cloud strategies.
Cloud versus resilience
GSMA said sovereign cloud initiatives and rising geopolitical tensions are pushing network resilience to the top of operator network strategy agendas, with significant implications for cloud providers.
Operators have traditionally competed on service reliability, and GSMA Intelligence has found that reliable 5G connectivity can help reduce churn and support 5G monetisation. As networks increasingly underpin critical and sovereign digital services, the focus is expanding from reliability to resilience – the ability of networks to withstand disruptions and rapidly recover from them.
GSMA noted that sovereign digital service programmes and digital public infrastructure rely heavily on existing 4G and 5G networks, increasing the need for resilient cloud and access architectures. At the same time, risks to network operations are growing due to more frequent cyberattacks, cloud outages and natural disasters.
The industry body said operators must back their resilience ambitions with targeted investments, including distributed compute for workload redundancy, non-terrestrial network capacity for resilient access, and network slicing to prioritise critical traffic. GSMA also warned that cloud providers face a credibility challenge, as recent high-profile outages have damaged perceptions of their resilience, making it essential for hyperscalers to place resilience at the centre of their value proposition when working with operators on high-value and sovereign services.
Open RAN
GSMA said progress in open networking, including open RAN, will continue at an incremental rather than breakthrough pace, shaped by developments in key regions and ongoing performance concerns.
GSMA Intelligence data shows limited change in adoption over the past six years, with the share of operators in the early stages of deploying open networking technologies rising only marginally since 2019. This slow progress is reflected in scaled-back rollouts, delayed launches and overly optimistic forecasts that have yet to materialise.
Despite this, many operators remain committed to open RAN, particularly in Europe and parts of Asia Pacific outside China. Deployments are expected to continue, supported by pre-integrated solutions and a strategic focus on long-term supply chain diversity. However, GSMA cautioned that concerns around ecosystem maturity and the perceived performance gap between open RAN and traditional RAN will limit growth.
The industry body said operators need to clearly articulate where they expect open RAN performance to improve, while vendors should begin incorporating “open” principles into their 6G strategies. As 6G discussions gain momentum in 2026, suppliers will need a clear narrative on how openness across networks, APIs and operations will be delivered beyond traditional open RAN models.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH
