Mobile World Congress 2025 once again highlighted the future direction of the telecom industry. Our theme this year focused on unlocking the networks full potential with data-driven insights and AI to enable smarter business outcomes, highlighting key technological advancements that set to shape market trends in the years ahead.
The evolution of network data and AI in telecom
Throughout conversations with customers, and technology partners, it was clear that network data continues to have a well-deserved focus. It shapes every aspect of our business - from network planning and optimization to customer experience management and service monetization. Yet the real value lies not in the data itself, but in how we harness it. AI is an essential partner that transforms vast amounts of information into actionable insights that drive business growth and innovation.
Navigating the data challenge
Today's telecom networks generate unprecedented volumes of data. Advanced networks like 5G, combined with increasingly complex services and diverse use cases have created what many operators described as a "data deluge." Managing this complexity presents both a significant challenge and an extraordinary opportunity.
Many operators I spoke with acknowledged they're still working to fully utilize their network data, often hindered by siloed systems and fragmented processes. The path forward requires breaking down these silos to leverage data-driven solutions across the entire network lifecycle.
Data and AI: creating business value
At Infovista, we're privileged to work with operators who are leveraging AI to make network data more accessible, actionable, and valuable. Whether optimizing 5G deployment, enhancing customer experiences, or developing slice-specific monetization strategies, the ability to process and act on data with speed and precision is becoming a key competitive differentiator.
Rick Hamilton, our CEO, noted during the event in an interview with The Mobile Network,
The key areas around AI are knowing about your customer, about your network, and the data you have to make decisions.
In this landscape, Infovista is uniquely positioned to help carriers transform their data into strategic assets.
Real-world applications of how data and AI drive innovation
There were several compelling examples of how data and AI are driving practical innovation in telecom:
- Enhanced customer experience: The live network testing we performed during the high-traffic MWC event with Infovista’s TEMS Backpack demonstrated how real-time, data-driven testing, together with centralized management, can identify improvement opportunities without requiring significant field resource investments.
- 5G slice monetization: We demonstrated 360º 5G slice assurance helps operators deliver premium services to unlock new revenue streams, whether optimizing for low latency e-gaming, high-reliability enterprise applications, or customized SLA-based offerings.
- Network intelligence: Operators are increasingly using business-centric analytics to optimize 5G traffic in high-revenue areas and enhance service quality for priority customers, maximizing return on network investments.
- API-powered solutions: The integration of network, service, and customer insights through API frameworks is enabling monetization beyond traditional boundaries, creating opportunities for Analytics-as-a-Service and innovative use cases.
The path forward: integrated data across the network lifecycle
What was clear is that end-to-end data orchestration is essential for unlocking the full potential of advanced networks. By connecting insights across the entire network lifecycle, from planning and testing to operations and monetization, operators can innovate faster, optimize resources more effectively, and accelerate 5G monetization efforts.
Collaboration: essential to unlock new monetization opportunities
One of the most promising aspects of advanced networks like 5G is their potential to enable new business models and revenue streams. Realizing this potential requires access to integrated, actionable data, something that increasingly demands collaboration across the ecosystem.
Our recent partnerships illustrate this collaborative approach:
- With CSG, we're integrating BSS and OSS capabilities to unify policy management, customer data, and network information on a single platform. This integration enables operators to create dynamic, quality-based promotions and execute slice-specific monetization strategies.
This is becoming of vital importance. As my colleague Muhannad Alabweh, Infovista’s Chief Product Officer, highlighted at the MWC broadcast stage along with Haifa El Ashkar, Executive Director, Corporate Strategy at CSG, OSS/BSS are powering today’s main trends, including 5G monetization, NTN solutions, and AI.
- Our work with Google Cloud combines Infovista's Planet with Google's Propagation API to reinvent network planning, providing operators with more efficient tools for 5G network deployment.
- Through expanded collaboration with iBwave, we're integrating Infovista's outdoor planning capabilities with iBwave's design solutions, helping operators address network densification and capacity challenges for campus networks.
These partnerships deliver integrated data that operators can leverage to optimize monetization efforts and create new value for customers.
Looking ahead
As we reflect on the insights gained at MWC25, the future direction for our industry is evident: data and AI will continue to be the backbone of telecommunications innovation. Operators that invest in comprehensive, data-driven solutions will be best positioned to capitalize on the opportunities that lie ahead.
At Infovista, we're committed to partnering with operators on this journey, helping them leverage the combined power of AI and data to build more intelligent, efficient, and profitable networks. By focusing on making the right data accessible and actionable, we can collectively drive the next wave of innovation in our industry.
The conversations and demonstrations at MWC25 reinforced my belief that we're just beginning to explore the possibilities that emerge when we place data at the heart of everything we do, with AI as the key that unlocks its full potential.
David Tulis, Infovista
