5G, AI, edge computing and more: 7 insights from the GSMA’s Global Mobile Trends

The GSMA’s 2025 Global Mobile Trends report identifies crucial trends shaping the mobile industry. While primarily aimed at mobile operators, these insights hold significant value for enterprises looking to harness connectivity and emerging technologies.

The following key points outline how these trends can unlock potential for businesses.

1. AI for network efficiency and automation

Generative AI has only been around for a couple of years, but it has become central to telcos’ strategies, with increased investment in automation to enhance operational efficiency. Having spent billions on their networks, operators are primarily turning to AI to reduce costs.

John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA, emphasised this shift: “AI is no longer just an add-on; it’s becoming the core intelligence behind network efficiency and customer experience. Operators investing in AI will gain a strategic advantage.”

The report highlights how AI-driven automation can lower operational costs, with applications in traffic control, billing, and network optimisation. Additionally, AI can enhance customer experiences by providing personalised services, improving retention and upsell opportunities. For instance, Deutsche Telekom’s AI-driven chatbots have cut customer resolution times by 40%.

2. Telco USP: LLM language innovation

Large language model (LLM) development is predominantly focused on key languages such as English, French, Spanish, Mandarin, and Hindi. Operators are working to expand this reach.

Orange and Vodafone are collaborating with AI providers to train LLMs for underserved languages, particularly in Africa and Asia, unlocking new opportunities for businesses seeking to reach diverse customer bases.

Peter Jarich, head of GSMA Intelligence, noted: “We’re seeing some interesting things from telcos that only they can do – addressing those smaller languages is super important and a huge opportunity.”

Peter Jarich, head of GSMA Intelligence

The GSMA predicts increased operator expansion in regions like Latin America and Southeast Asia as companies embrace AI for services and customer care.

3. Monetising AI: No silver bullet yet

Operators are under pressure to monetise AI opportunities amid the need to generate returns on network investments. The report found that 20% of operators in Europe and Asia prioritised revenue generation from AI.

While there is no single solution, some operators are offering GPU as a Service to support AI workloads at the edge. Monetisation strategies also include white-label AI agents and data monetisation.

Examples of telcos that are monetising AI successfully include Korean operator KT, which earns an access fee from Microsoft for cloud access supporting LLM development. Elsewhere, Telefónica’s AI-driven network diagnostic tool, which predicts network issues before they arise, has reduced downtime by 30% and improved customer satisfaction rates.

4. Edge computing: A game-changer for enterprises

Edge computing is gaining prominence for data-intensive and latency-sensitive applications. By processing data closer to the source, businesses can enable real-time decision-making in sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, and immersive environments.

Verizon’s strategy of repurposing telco facilities to enable edge AI workloads highlights how enterprises can benefit from existing infrastructure.

“We think AI will increase network demands, especially at the edge,” says Iris Meijer, chief marketing and product officer at Verizon Business. “We are reimagining our assets across telco facilities to support AI workloads.”

Iris Meijer Verizon Business

Ronnie Vasishta, senior vice president of Telecom at NVIDIA, emphasised the need for better alignment between compute and connectivity:

“There’s lots of talk about connectivity, but connectivity latency is small compared to compute latency… We’ve worked on optimising applications like agentic flow and video summarisation to run within one or one-and-a-half seconds – which is critical for edge environments.”

The report also found that cloud and cybersecurity are the most widely adopted non-connectivity technologies, with cybersecurity being the top spending priority for 40% of enterprises between 2024 and 2026.

5. The year of 5G Advanced? The jury’s still out

5G Advanced has risen to the top of operators’ priorities, with 49% rating it ‘extremely important’ in 2024, surpassing open networking and automation.

5G Advanced promises improved connectivity for enterprise sectors like logistics, healthcare, and manufacturing. For instance, enhanced telemedicine services will benefit from lower latency and improved video quality for remote consultations.

While 5G Advanced shows potential for innovations such as AI-native networking and edge computing, The GSMA’s Peter Jarich warns its broader impact remains unclear:

“5G Advanced is important to operators, but unless they identify clear monetisation strategies, it won’t become a widespread industry talking point,” he explained.

6. Private 5G networks: Scaling up

Private 5G networks are shifting from niche to mainstream, with industries such as Media, Smart Cities, and Financial Services driving adoption. While only 2% of enterprises have deployed private networks so far, adopters report notable benefits.

Among those deploying 5G, Media (22%) and Smart Cities (22%) lead the way, relying on fast, reliable uplinks for broadcasting, CCTV, and computer vision devices.

Interestingly, Manufacturing accounted for just 8% of private 5G users, while Automotive and Transport made up 9%.

Combined, Oil, Gas, Mining, and Agriculture accounted for 18%, while Ports and Airports combined represented 6% of users. Financial Services (21%), Energy (16%), and Healthcare (14%) also feature prominently among early adopters.

Oil & Gas markets together with Mining and Agriculture account for 18% of 5G users

According to the report, overall enterprises are still working to understand the returns on 5G investments. Many deployments remain at the proof-of-concept (POC) stage, making it difficult to quantify cost savings or productivity gains without large-scale implementations.

However, Verizon’s Meijer highlighted monetisation opportunities, citing fixed wireless access as a key success story:

“If you think about fixed wireless access, it’s a fantastic example of monetising 5G. We’ve seen enormous success with this as a primary broadband connection, and now we are the market share leader in the US.”

She also explained how Verizon is expanding beyond basic connectivity: “We are using fixed wireless access as the last mile in connectivity, giving us control of the end-to-end network and customer experience.

“Verizon is also exploring performance guarantees for fixed wireless access, which allows us to collaborate with remote driving company Vay Networks on semi-autonomous vehicles.”

According to Tadhg Kenny of Druid software, some enterprises customers care less about the type of  network, just that it works and allows them to run their applications.

“None of our enterprise customers care about the details of 5G; they just want to know what it can do for them. Can they use it for full VR training, like Nissan is doing? They don’t care if it’s Wi-Fi or 5G delivering that, so long as it works,” he says.

7. API monetisation and growth

APIs are transforming telecom services by enabling developers to integrate network capabilities into their applications.

Launched at MWC 2023, GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative aims to create a universal framework for network APIs, building on CAMARA’s open-source technical foundation.

The GSMA stresses the importance of driving API monetisation in 2024, highlighting successful deployments as key proof points. Brazil’s mobile operators, for example, have monetised a SIM swap API, demonstrating tangible revenue potential.

Security and fraud mitigation APIs remain the most popular Open Gateway applications, while the Quality on Demand (QoD) API is expected to gain traction. This API allows developers to tailor connectivity quality to application requirements.

Deutsche Telekom’s 5G Live Video Production is one notable example, combining a QoD API with 5G SA and network slicing capabilities to enable reliable live HD video transmission without satellite support.

Collaborations between rival mobile operators and hyperscalers are crucial for scaling API adoption, the report notes.  Partnerships that combine cybersecurity firms, telcos, and AI vendors are seen as vital to driving market growth.

However, the GSMA warns of “a gap between supply and demand”, urging efforts to connect with integrators and address industry pain points such as fraud prevention