Private Network Awards 2025 @MWC Las Vegas

Vodafone

2025 has seen major telecom and tech M&A activity, including billion-dollar deals in fiber, AI, cloud, and cybersecurity. This monthly tracker details key acquisitions, like AT&T buying Lumenโ€™s fiber assets and Googleโ€™s $32B move for Wiz, highlighting how consolidation is shaping the competitive landscape.
Telefonica is weighing a bid for Vodafone Spain from Zegona, setting up a pivotal consolidation moment in a four-player Spanish market under tight EU scrutiny. State-aligned and strategic investors appear open to a scaled Spain-centric strategy that leans into Europe while pruning Latin American exposure. Spain’s market has shifted after the combination of Orange Spain and MasMvil (MasOrange), creating a heavyweight rival to Telefonica. A successful deal would reshape Spains operator landscape and signal how far EU policymakers will allow scale plays to go in mature markets. The European Commission has shown willingness to approve in-country consolidation with tough conditions.
Reliance Jio’s 2026 IPO could be Indiaโ€™s largest public listing, with a projected valuation between โ‚น10โ€“12 lakh crore. As Jio Platforms prepares to float 2.5โ€“5% equity, the move could reshape 5G pricing, digital infrastructure investments, and ARPU strategies across the telecom stack. With cloud, AI, and enterprise services gaining traction, Jioโ€™s IPO positions it as a multi-product digital powerhouse. Airtel and Vodafone Idea may face intensified competition as capital deployment and service bundling accelerate.
India’s telecom usage is now predominantly indoors, and TRAI’s new property rating framework puts digital connectivity on par with core utilities. TRAI’s chairperson flagged a decisive shift: most mobile data is consumed inside homes, offices, malls, hospitals, and transit hubs. Connectivity inside buildings is moving from convenience to necessity. TRAI’s 2024 Regulations introduce a voluntary, performance-based star rating that assesses how ready a property is to deliver high-quality broadband and mobile connectivity. The framework encourages developers to embed Digital Connectivity Infrastructure (DCI) at design stage, aligns with Digital India and Smart Cities Mission, and invites ministries and agencies to incorporate DCI into guidelines, tenders, and training.
MWC25 Las Vegas is the premier North American event for CIOs and IT leaders, offering real-world insights on 5G, AI, IoT, private networks, and edge computing. With industry leaders from IBM, Qualcomm, T-Mobile, and more, the event focuses on actionable strategies for enterprise transformation.
Virgin Media O2 is partnering with neutral host provider Freshwave to strengthen mobile coverage across 22 Haven holiday parks, aligning seasonal demand with targeted network investment. The project is part of O2s Mobile Transformation Plan, a multi-year program focused on improving capacity and coverage where traffic spikes. The upgrades span popular UK staycation destinations, including coastal and rural parks where coverage can be patchy and demand is highly seasonal. Four parks are live now, with the remaining sites phased over the peak travel window to improve both outdoor and indoor experience for guests, staff, and nearby communities.
Vodafone Idea (Vi) and IBM are launching an AI Innovation Hub to infuse AI and automation into Vis IT and operations, aiming to boost reliability, speed delivery, and improve customer experience in Indias fast-evolving 5G market. IBM Consulting will work with Vi to co-create AI solutions, digital accelerators, and automation tooling that modernize IT service delivery and streamline business processes. The initiative illustrates how AI and automation can reshape telco IT and managed services while laying groundwork for 5G-era revenue streams. Unified DevOps across OSS/BSS enables faster rollout of plans, bundles, and digital journeys.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), representing Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, is pushing back against direct 5G spectrum allocation for enterprises. COAI argues that Indiaโ€™s urban coverage, revenue priorities, and national security risks make an operator-led model via spectrum leasing or network slicing, more viable. The Department of Telecommunications is reviewing TRAIโ€™s recommendation, with the decision set to shape Indiaโ€™s private 5G market for years.
Indiaโ€™s internet subscriber base hit 969.10 million in FY25, with broadband users rising 2.17% and narrowband shrinking. TRAI data shows wireless ARPU up 16.89%, strong wireline growth, rural connectivity gains, and Jio-Airtel dominance โ€” while DTH shrinks and OTT rises.
Indiaโ€™s telecom sector is forecasted to grow 12โ€“14% in FY25, hitting โ‚น3 lakh crore in revenue, with AI adoption, Vodafone-led tariff hikes, and R&D investment driving momentum. AI is not just boosting efficiencyโ€”itโ€™s reshaping the future of telecom jobs, infrastructure, and policy. Sunil Bharti Mittal called for stronger private R&D efforts and smarter policy frameworks to harness Indiaโ€™s demographic advantage and scale the next era of AI-powered telecom innovation.
Fastweb+Vodafone has introduced the FastwebAI Suite, Italyโ€™s first sovereign GenAI platform designed for both businesses and public institutions. Built on secure, in-country infrastructure and powered by MIIA, an Italian-trained LLM, the platform ensures regulatory compliance with EU AI laws. Early adopters include the Italian Senate, ISTAT, and top universities. With consulting via the FastwebAI Factory and upcoming modules for security and governance, this launch strengthens Vodafoneโ€™s role in Italyโ€™s digital transformation.
Network APIs are redefining the telecom sector, enabling real-time services, secure mobile payments, IoT support, and cross-industry innovation. With projected market growth to $30B by 2030, telecom leaders are focusing on standardization, ecosystem collaboration, and developer engagement to unlock the full value of APIs in the 5G era.
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Private Network Awards 2025 @MWC Las Vegas
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Private Network Awards 2025 at MWC Las Vegas

Recognizing excellence in 5G, LTE, CBRS, and connected industries.
Early Bird Deadline: Sept 5, 2025 | Final Deadline: Sept 30, 2025