This year’s ICT developments form an alphabetical crescendo of technological innovation, each contributing to an infrastructure environment capable of meeting the growing demands of enterprises, governments, and consumers. The scale, velocity, and integration of these trends signal that telecom and ICT’s once siloed sectors now collectively support a fully digital, data-driven world poised for even greater expansion in 2026.
Global Connectivity Overview 2025
According to Ookla, as of the end of 2025, median fixed broadband download speeds reached 115.43 Mbps and upload speeds reached 58.94 Mbps, reflecting sustained infrastructure investments and wider FTTH penetration worldwide.
At the national level, the United Arab Emirates led global mobile speeds, with median download speeds of 672.68 Mbps, followed closely by its Gulf peers, Qatar (542.56 Mbps) and Kuwait (398.66 Mbps). On the fixed broadband side, Singapore (407.05 Mbps), Chile (357.25 Mbps), the UAE (356.24 Mbps), and France (346.04 Mbps) were among the fastest globally, while emerging markets such as Vietnam (273.64 Mbps) posted significant gains by entering the top fixed speed brackets.
According to the ITU’s Global Connectivity Report, about 74% of the world’s population are now using the internet. 5G coverage has reached approximately 55%, with the report emphasizing that closing these gaps requires strengthening the six pillars of Universal and Meaningful Connectivity (UMC)—quality, availability, affordability, devices, skills, and safety/security—supported by policy, data measurement, and institutional capacity to ensure that connectivity delivers equitable, secure, and sustainable digital participation for all.
A — AI-Native Networks Go Mainstream
Huawei is leading the industry’s shift from concept to large-scale deployment as AI-native networks move decisively from vision to execution, with intelligence now embedded end-to-end across the network lifecycle from RAN and core to edge and OSS/BSS. This transformation is anchored in the convergence of 5G-Advanced and AI, which Alex Xu, President of Carrier Business at Huawei Middle East and Central Asia, defines as “the dual engine accelerating the industry’s evolution from telco to techco,” enabling networks to become intent-driven, self-optimizing, and commercially intelligent.
This paradigm was further validated by China Mobile and Huawei, which jointly highlighted how 5G-A’s enhanced uplink, deterministic latency, and sensing capabilities, when fused with AI, are redefining global performance benchmarks and enabling networks to become cognitive, intent-driven systems, an approach echoed by Li Huidi from China Mobile through the AI+NETWORK framework powering a digital-intelligent future.
Nokia is reinforcing this shift by positioning AI as the foundational layer for next-generation networks, aligning automation, analytics, and cloud-native architectures to support autonomous operations and scalable service innovation.
The momentum was further evident at the 19th edition of the Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit, where ZTE championed inclusive innovation and AI-driven infrastructure, underscoring how intelligent connectivity is becoming a cornerstone of sustainable digital development. Separately, ZTE Overseas President Xiao Ming noted that connectivity has evolved beyond infrastructure, becoming the digital foundation for intelligent living and sustainable development. Ericsson, meanwhile, is similarly sharpening the industry’s focus on AI value realization rather than AI hype, with Alain Maupin, Vice President and Head of Ericsson East and North Africa, reframing the debate around what truly matters: “the real bias in AI is about value, and the value AI delivers.”
In line with this, intelligence is no longer confined to analytics but is increasingly agentic, autonomous, and revenue-generating. AWTG’s agentic AI solutions and insights from Ishwar Parulkar, Chief Technologist for Telecom at AWS, illustrate how AI agents are transforming telecom operations through closed-loop automation, real-time decisioning, and predictive assurance, a theme reinforced at the Telecom Review AI Roundtable in Saudi Arabia, which connected AI-driven operations with monetization and growth.
B — Bandwidth Across Continents
Worldwide international bandwidth demand has already surpassed 6.4 Pbps, with a compound annual growth trajectory in the 30%+ range, reflecting a tripling of traffic since 2020 as hyperscale data centers, streaming, immersive applications, and enterprise AI workloads proliferate across regions.
Against this backdrop, global industry leaders are articulating strategic optical and spectrum innovations as essential enablers for the AI era. NEC’s disaggregated optical solutions, which “adopt a modular architecture, allowing network operators to combine components based on their specific requirements,” exemplify how open, intelligent optical networks can be tailored to diverse global demands.
Meanwhile, APTelecom’s holistic approach to designing systems with transmission technologies to meet bandwidth needs for the next 25 years underscores the long-duration planning required to future-proof capacity. Similarly, Raymond Policarpio, VP of Strategy at Globe Business, notes that, alongside this, significant investment in fiber networks, subsea cables, cable landing stations, and data centers is needed. Saudi Arabia’s pioneering 6G ‘Golden Band’ 7 GHz field trial and ongoing GCC spectrum allocations highlight how regulators and operators alike are unlocking higher-frequency resources to satisfy ultra-high-capacity requirements for AI, XR, and massive IoT use cases. The push into the AI age is further supported by Cisco’s 8223 router with P200 silicon, designed to absorb and route immense AI-driven traffic, and emerging 102.4 Tbps chips that dramatically reduce network bottlenecks.
Importantly, as Guillaume Boudin, CEO of Sofrecom Group, observes, “network performance requires the board’s attention,” given that data traffic growth is “driven by an increasingly connected population, rising smartphone and FTTH penetration, and the adoption of bandwidth-intensive services.”
C — Cloud Reshapes Infrastructure Strategy
With the global cloud AI market projected to reach USD 847.8 billion by 2032, capacity, sovereign cloud mandates, and AI acceleration are converging into a single competitive arena. This shift is especially pronounced in the Middle East, where cloud services registrations have surged by 70% in Saudi Arabia, signaling enterprise and government migration at scale.
As Junaid Ahmed, Telecom AI Strategist, argues, “Ownership here is not merely about infrastructure; it is about controlling the intelligence layer that will drive economies, enable industries, and empower sovereign digital agendas.” This momentum was evident at TRS 2025, where AI- and cloud-led innovation was framed as the foundation for hyperconnected growth, and further reinforced by stc and Nokia’s MEA-first commercial 5G NSA Cloud RAN deployment, demonstrating how cloud-native architectures are now integral to live mobile networks, not just IT back ends.
At the same time, security, resilience, and architectural flexibility are emerging as board-level imperatives as workloads scale across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. AWS’s cloud security philosophy, articulated through Dr. Paul Vixie, Deputy CISO at AWS, reflects a broader industry consensus that cloud’s strategic value lies far beyond the outdated notion that “the cloud is just someone else’s computer.”
Telcos, meanwhile, are redefining their role within this stack. As Manish Kansal, MEA Head of Core Networks at Nokia, explains, “Multi-cloud enables cloud agnosticism.” This approach is increasingly visible across the region through AWS and IBM’s scalable AI cloud initiatives, as well as Cisco’s advanced cloud centers supporting Saudi Arabia’s digital vision.
D — Digital Sovereignty Takes Center Stage
In 2025, governments and national operators asserted direct control over infrastructure, data, and intelligence layers. In the UAE, this philosophy was encapsulated by du’s Jasim Al Awadi, who framed the strategy succinctly, “We build, we own, we operate,” underscoring a move away from dependency toward sovereign-by-design networks and platforms. This approach was further reinforced by du CEO Fahad Al Hassawi’s focus on trust, talent, and technology as the foundational pillars for the UAE’s AI era, aligning with Abu Dhabi’s ambition to become the world’s first AI-native government. In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review, His Excellency Wesam Lootah, Director General of GovDigital, detailed how GovDigital is delivering integrated platforms and services that unify government operations, data exchange, and citizen engagement.
The international policy landscape is evolving in parallel, with the United Nations establishing a scientific panel for AI governance, signaling that sovereign AI will shape global regulatory norms. Commercial ecosystems are responding accordingly: SoftBank and Oracle’s partnership to deliver Japan’s sovereign AI cloud, Indosat’s launch of a sovereign SOC in Indonesia, and HCLSoftware’s sovereign AI platforms for governments and regulated sectors all reflect a decisive shift toward nationally anchored AI stacks. In Europe, this trend is mirrored by Cisco’s expanded data sovereignty portfolio and SAP joining the AWS Sovereign Cloud, demonstrating how hyperscalers and vendors are adapting to jurisdiction-first architectures.
E — Evolving 5G-Advanced by Engineering the Experience Layer
Indicating a natural evolution in line with the aforementioned trends, 5G-Advanced is turning networks into experience-driven platforms. Huawei’s innovative approach to microwave backhaul exemplifies this shift, with Zeng Chuang, President of Huawei Microwave Product Line, addressing the growing transport demands of 5G-A through the ‘Omni microwave’ solution, designed to deliver ultra-high capacity, simplified deployment, and resilience as 5G-A densification accelerates.
On the access side, du has demonstrated state-of-the-art 5G-Advanced connectivity by combining sub-3 GHz and U6 GHz spectrum, achieving peak speeds of 10.56 Gbps and showcasing enhanced throughput, lower latency, and superior performance in high-density environments. These capabilities have been ratified by du’s 5G-A Villa and Innovation Center, where CTO Saleem AlBlooshi confirmed that 2025 marked the acceleration phase for widespread 5G-A rollout, including indoor coverage and business-driven deployments.
Nokia, meanwhile, continues to anchor advanced 5G markets globally, from the GCC to Africa, through innovations such as its Habrok Massive MIMO platform, power-efficient radios, RedCap enablement, and a clear 5G-Advanced roadmap, supported by network performance optimization at scale.
Regionally, momentum around 5G-Advanced is translating into concrete industrial and societal outcomes. stc Bahrain is investing heavily in 5G-A to unlock new use cases across healthcare, education, and logistics, while Ooredoo Qatar and Ericsson are advancing 5G RAN and microwave backhaul integration to support ultra-reliable performance.
In Asia, Malaysia’s 5G-Advanced progress, from Yes launching the country’s first commercial 5G-A network to M1’s Southeast Asia–first 5G RedCap deployment, signals enterprise-ready evolution, complemented by accelerating M2M and IoT growth in China. Africa is emerging as a proving ground, with MTN and ZTE’s world-first 5-band RRU, quad-band Massive MIMO, and 5G-Advanced ISAC pilots, while Ericsson’s Majda Lahlou Kassi emphasizes that 5G-A will unlock transformative use cases such as cost-efficient FWA delivering fiber-like quality. North America is making similar 5G-A strides, with T-Mobile and Nokia achieving 6.3 Gbps speeds.
At TRS 2025, GSMA’s Dr. Nadia Brahmi positioned 5G-Advanced as the natural bridge to 6G, particularly through the 6 GHz band.
M — Monetizing the New Infrastructure Era
Monetization has become the defining test of the new infrastructure era, as operators across the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Americas shift from coverage-led investment cycles to experience-, intelligence-, and platform-driven revenue models.
This transition is exemplified by Zain KSA’s network strategy, which combines the region’s first commercial 5G SA deployment over 600 MHz, advanced indoor and underground coverage, and highly localized innovation through the Riyadh Antenna. In parallel, du’s UAE-first 5G-Advanced 600 MHz tri-band RRU rollout and discussions at the Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit 2025 on 5G-A experience monetization in the GCC underline how low-band spectrum, uplink enhancements, and deterministic performance are unlocking new revenue frontiers beyond traditional data plans.
At the ecosystem level, monetization is increasingly tied to autonomous operations, programmable networks, and enterprise-grade platforms. As outlined by Orhan Tasoglu, VP Delivery, MEA at Nokia, telecom service delivery is evolving from digital to autonomous, enabling operators to scale complexity while reducing cost-to-serve.
Vendors such as Lenovo are strengthening infrastructure resilience across AI, hybrid cloud, and edge environments, while Mobily is positioning innovation as a catalyst for broader economic growth. Yet monetization challenges persist at the business layer, with Issa Chini from AvanteBSS identifying that legacy enterprise BSS models are failing operators, and agile, API-first approaches are proving more effective. This shift is reinforced by e&’s leadership in 5G-Advanced, the rise of network APIs as a new revenue stream, and the growing focus on intelligent consumer and enterprise ecosystems, showcased by Huawei’s AI Home and James Chen’s emphasis on AI-driven techco value creation.
Globally, LotusFlare, Comarch, and Mycom’s 5G capacity and revenue discovery tools collectively signal that in the new infrastructure era, value is no longer embedded in access alone, but in how intelligently networks are commercialized.
O-ptical, Q-uantum, S-patial and Security in Today’s Networks
The convergence of optical innovation, quantum readiness, spatial intelligence, and cybersecurity is reshaping how networks are engineered for a post-classical era defined by AI-scale traffic and zero-trust imperatives. Breakthroughs such as purifying single-photon streams and the ‘Heart Code’ technique are accelerating quantum efficiency, reinforcing why standards bodies and policymakers are acting in parallel.
At the ITU CxO Roundtable, leaders examined how AI, connectivity, and next-generation standards must co-evolve, while Nokia’s 50G PON solution signaled the transition from lab research to deployable infrastructure. Notably, the UAE Cabinet’s approved 13 national cybersecurity policies, Abu Dhabi launched the first quantum-secure communications testbed, South Korea launched an interagency cybersecurity body, and South Africa marked the shift toward quantum-safe cryptography. Across Asia, StarHub and NeutraDC’s quantum-safe partnership and Maxis’s pioneering quantum-safe networking further underscore how optical backbones and cryptography are being upgraded in lockstep to protect long-lived data and mission-critical services.
Security architectures are simultaneously being rethought to defend AI-native, spatially distributed environments. Fortinet’s unified network protection strategy, grounded in architecture and alliances, culminates in the industry’s first complete security blueprint for high-performance AI data centers, addressing east–west traffic, accelerated compute, and zero-trust enforcement at scale, while acknowledging that humans remain the weakest link in cybersecurity.
Giesecke+Devrient’s trust-centric approach highlights the need for identity, secure elements, and lifecycle assurance as advanced technologies diffuse across sectors. Industry collaboration is equally central, as emphasized by Mplify’s COO, Kevin Vachon, who champions the mantra that uniting the NaaS community should take precedence over amplifying AI hype, reflecting a shift toward interoperable, service-driven security and connectivity.
Going into 2026: What’s Next?
As the industry approaches 2026, the nature of partnership and regulation is increasingly shaping the trajectory of next-generation networks, particularly the transition from 5G to 6G. Nokia and du’s 6G research framework in the UAE and alliances among Europe’s top CEOs driving AI and tech leadership reflect a global consensus that innovation at scale requires coordinated effort between operators, vendors, and policymakers.
The technical demands are equally formidable. Sustaining 6G’s projected growth will require triple the mid-band spectrum compared to current allocations, while AI-driven network management will introduce new KPIs, operational paradigms, and leadership structures. These developments are being actively shaped by standards bodies that emphasize the co-evolution of AI, connectivity, next-generation protocols, and national initiatives, such as India’s spectrum-focused 6G ambitions and domestic R&D programs.
Operational proof points reinforce these strategic directions. NTT DOCOMO’s successful outdoor trials of AI-powered wireless interfaces illustrate how intelligence will be embedded across the air, while SoftBank’s demonstration of 7 GHz spectrum signals readiness for dense urban 6G deployments. As Danial Mausoof from Nokia highlights, the future of intelligent connectivity depends on harmonizing technological capability with governance frameworks, ensuring that “no connection, no progress” becomes a guiding principle for equitable access and digital inclusion.
Across geographies, this interplay of policy, partnerships, and AI-driven infrastructure is setting the stage for a highly orchestrated, globally coordinated approach to 6G, where regulation catalyzes innovation, investment, and sustainable digital growth.
Telecom Review’s Digital and Physical Footprint in 2025
As the year draws to a close, Telecom Review reflects on a year of vast reach and influence across the global telecom and ICT landscape. Through 216 in-depth interviews across seven editions, we amplified the voices of leaders shaping connectivity, cloud, AI, and digital policy, translating executive insight into industry-wide action. This year, we also launched Subsea Cables by Telecom Review, which has since grown astronomically.
The Telecom Review team attended 15+ events, with a presence spanning four continents, and hosted four high-impact webinars, including ‘The Role of Fintech in Advancing Africa,’ ‘Empowering Her Future in ICT,’ ‘World Telecommunication Day: Shaping Industries,’ and ‘Artificial Intelligence: Asia’s Engine for Growth.’
The year culminated in our flagship Telecom Review Leaders’ Summitand Excellence Awards, uniting policymakers, operators, vendors, and innovators, while marking our influence as a true industry convenor and setting a confident trajectory for the year ahead.
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