Hype or reality? Three AI themes from MWC | Total Telecom

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One month on from Mobile World Congress, we highlight a trio of key AI-related themes from the show with major promise

AI was undoubtedly the unifying theme of MWC 2025, with the term appearing in a myriad of forms, from AI-powered kitchens to automated agents handling telco network operations.

While some of these developments are undoubtedly overhyped by marketers trying to capitalise on the buzz word of the week, some of these concepts have the genuine potential to upend the traditional telco business model.

Below, we recap three AI themes from MWC with the potential to be hugely disruptive – if they live up to the hype.

AI-embedded smartphones

For anyone that has used ChatGPT on their mobile, the idea of generative AI on a mobile device may seem like nothing new. But what if the AI assistant on your phone had access to your apps, could airbrush your photos, and manage your calendar, all through natural language interactions? This is the new reality that embedding AI chips in smartphones could offer in the near future and the smartphone makers are understandably excited about it.

With benefits including everything from better optimised battery management to real-time translation, could an all-encompassing AI assistant be the ‘super app’ the telecoms industry as been waiting for so long, or even the end of apps altogether?

Here are some of the biggest AI stories from the smartphone players (and would-be smartphone players!):

 

Agentic AI

The term ‘agentic AI’ refers to AI systems that can make decisions and perform tasks autonomously, with no or minimal human intervention. For telcos, embedding AI agents within their own operations will boost the efficiency of numerous complex processes, from network management and billing to customer experience and cybersecurity. But perhaps even more exciting is how these agents will impact fields adjacent to telecoms, such as robotics, healthcare, and autonomous driving.

Here are some of the key agentic AI discussions that took place at MWC:

 

AI RAN

AI RAN – the concept of incorporating AI capabilities directly into RAN infrastructure through embedded AI chips – is one of the latest hot topics to hit the mobile industry. The ultimate goal of this technology is to deploy an AI algorithm within the RAN that learns and manages network processes, allowing for improved radio resource efficiency and reduced power consumption.

For now, this technology remains in its infancy, but steady progress means the advent of AI RAN could be not too far away.

Here are some of the biggest AI RAN storis from this year’s MWC:

 

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