As the telecommunications industry gathers in Barcelona for MWC 2024 at the end of February, a key topic of discussion will be the transformation of the telecom sector’s reliable, time-tested infrastructure.

This renovation isn’t just a technical upgrade; it’s a strategic move toward revolutionizing edge computing. The goal? To seamlessly usher in an era dominated by 5G technology, expected to explode onto the consumer scene by 2025.

Another critical topic will be telco’s embrace of the cloud as a disruptive force. Private wireless, hyperlocal 5G and edge networks continue to evolve. And the open radio access network, or O-RAN, remains an emerging network architecture that is fueling industry adoption of new technologies. There is also the broad impact of artificial intelligence. How to deploy AI for business impact is a leading topic of conversation in the enterprise world and will undoubtedly be a part of the MWC agenda.

TheCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, will be on the ground in Barcelona with four days of live coverage from February 26-29, bringing news and analysis from key industry thought leaders and company executives on the latest developments in the rapidly advancing telco field. The focus will be the relationship between legacy technology giants and the ever-evolving telecom arena, as theCUBE will talk with industry experts about enhancing edge computing capabilities to accommodate the expected surge of 5G consumer deployments by 2025.

“MWC, formerly Mobile World Congress, used to be a show mostly about the telco industry, but that stigma has long since passed and this event has become a marquis showcase for innovation,” said Dave Vellante, chief analyst for theCUBE Research. “Last year there was some amount of AI conversation and this year it will dominate. Main telecoms themes will still be in play including the disaggregation of the network, Private 5G, OpenRAN and the like. But the impact of cloud, distributed edge, data strategies, automation, emerging tech like robotics and EV’s, semiconductor advancements are all in play.” (* Disclosure below.)

UPDATE: Check out the top moments from theCUBE’s live coverage of #MWC24:

Enhanced customer experience

Data and how to protect and manage it is an especially relevant topic inside the telco world, because operators are swimming in it. One operator serving 8 million prepaid mobile subscribers generates approximately 30 million call data records daily, which equates to 11 billion records annually.

Numbers such as these have led telcos to evaluate the use of generative AI for hyper-personalization strategies and improving network operations. A recent study from McKinsey & Co. described one telco that developed an AI-based customer network experience to “score” perceptions of its network and guide network deployment decisions.

Enhancement of the customer experience is emerging as one of the leading use cases for enterprise AI. It is an area of focus for major enterprise players, such as Dell Technologies Inc., which has expanded its APEX solutions portfolio to benefit key providers including AT&T Inc.

“[AI] raises all ships, it absolutely does, and we definitely see its impact on customer experience,” said Jeff Boudreau, chief AI officer of Dell, during a recent interview with theCUBE. “We definitely see benefits in regards to productivity for our customers and for ourselves. Some of that could go back to profit and loss to be more profitable, some of that could go back to investing in future innovation or just on higher valued projects versus noisy projects, so a lot of opportunity there.”

Acquisitions and partnerships

Along with the development of new strategies for deployment of AI, the telco industry has seen moves by key players to integrate AI into operational networks and to consolidate market positioning. How these moves factor into new growth opportunities within the industry will be a focus at this year’s MWC.

In August, Google LLC-funded AI research startup Anthropic Inc. announced the raise of $100 million from South Korean powerhouse SK Telecom Co. Ltd. to build large language model AI systems customized for telecom clients.

In October, Mitel Networks Inc. closed a deal to acquire Unify and cement its position as the number two provider in global market share for unified communications, with the stated goal of combining hardware and software into one platform. This was followed by news in January of a deal by Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. to purchase Juniper Networks Inc. for $13 billion. Both companies have been active players in the 5G ecosystem, and the deal is expected to strengthen the ability of the two companies to penetrate the 5G telecom market.

“Adding Juniper would bring enterprise, telco, cloud and security business to HPE,” said Zeus Kerravala, principal analyst at ZK Research, a division of Kerravala Consulting, in an analysis for SiliconANGLE. “Both companies have strong portfolios and have been focused on beefing up AI capabilities.”

Integration with cloud

Against this backdrop of AI adoption and industry acquisitions, MWC will also offer an opportunity to assess the state of cloud usage among telecommunications firms. This has been an interesting dynamic at previous gatherings in Barcelona as telcos grapple with whether to embrace existing cloud models or build one themselves.

“On the one hand, cloud can help drive agility, optionality and innovation for incumbent telcos … but the flip side is it can do the same for startups trying to disrupt,” Vellante said. “And while some telcos are embracing the cloud, many are being cautious.”

One company that has built a potential model for how the telco industry can leverage the cloud is Deutsche Telekom AG. The German firm has developed a global enterprise network that integrated Deutsche Telekom’s private 5G wireless solutions with Amazon Web Services Inc. infrastructure and VMware Inc.’s multicloud telco platform.

In December, Deutsche Telekom offered a glimpse into its longer-term cloud strategy with the announcement that it had begun development of a common European cloud and edge-cloud infrastructure. This and other moves by key telco and cloud providers will be one of the many subplots to observe during theCUBE’s MWC coverage in February.

TheCUBE event livestream

Don’t miss theCUBE’s coverage of “MWC Barcelona” event on Feb. 26-29. Plus, you can watch theCUBE’s event coverage on-demand after the live event.

How to watch theCUBE interviews

We offer you various ways to watch theCUBE’s coverage of “MWC Barcelona” event, including theCUBE’s dedicated website and YouTube channel. You can also get all the coverage from this year’s events on SiliconANGLE.

TheCUBE Insights podcast

SiliconANGLE also has podcasts available of archived interview sessions, available on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify, which you can enjoy while on the go.

SiliconANGLE also has analyst deep dives in our Breaking Analysis podcast, available on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify.

Guests

During the MWC Barcelona event, theCUBE analysts will talk with industry experts as they address the evolving telecom infrastructure. Stay tuned for our complete guest list.

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the MWC Barcelona event. No sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE