Leading CSPs, technology innovators and industry bodies back launch of industry-wide AI-Native Telco Accelerator

• New initiative brings together operators, vendors and industry experts to drive the industry from AI experimentation to scalable execution

London, UK – TelecomTV and partners today launched the AI-Native Telco Accelerator (ANTA), a new industry-backed initiative designed to help communications service providers (CSPs) accelerate the transition from AI experimentation to real-world deployment.

ANTA has been created to address one of the telecom industry’s biggest AI transformation challenges: Fragmented information, disconnected initiatives and a lack of common benchmarks for measuring progress. The initiative provides a year-round platform for research, collaboration and practical guidance to help operators accelerate the journey from AI experimentation to real-world, scalable deployment.

Founding participants include Axiata, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, NTT Docomo, Rakuten Mobile, the GSMA, Wind River and Totogi, with additional operators, technology providers and industry stakeholders expected to join in the coming months.

“Agentic AI in telco is increasing, but accelerating and scaling requires the right foundations including interoperable data, open APIs, AI controls and automated lifecycle management,” said Ahmed Hafez, SVP Network Strategy and Data & AI in Networks at Deutsche Telekom. “Building these foundations demands openness, standardisation and collective action across the ecosystem.”

Also supported by ETSI, the NGMN Alliance, the TM Forum, Mavenir and Wavelo, the initiative is built around three strategic pillars:

• Research – Independent analysis, benchmarking and market intelligence focused on AI-native transformation, including the development of the AI-Native Telco Index.
• Community hub – A year-round destination for operators, vendors and industry experts to share best practices, deployment experiences, use cases and practical insights.
• Events - A programme of executive discussions, webinars and industry gatherings culminating in the annual AI-Native Telco Forum.

At the centre of the initiative will be a series of flagship outputs designed to provide greater clarity and transparency around AI adoption across the telecom sector. These include:

• AI-Native Telco Index – an annual benchmark assessing 50 Tier 1 and Tier 2 operators against 20 AI-native transformation markers, creating one of the industry’s most comprehensive assessments of AI activity.
• AI-Native Telco Forum – an in-person industry event in Düsseldorf on 8-9 September that will bring together operators, technology providers and experts to discuss research findings and emerging best practices.
• ANTA Intelligence – a dedicated digital channel, featuring research, analysis, whitepapers, member insights and industry updates.
• Quarterly topic reports – deep-dive analysis into key AI-native technologies, domains and operational priorities.
• Webinars and video content – regular discussions, interviews and expert panels focused on practical implementation and lessons learned.
• Academy – a central repository of deployment case studies, proofs of concept and innovation programmes from across the industry.

“AI native is the work the industry has now agreed to do. The harder question is how,” commented Danielle Rios, CEO of Totogi. “Most AI in telecom today observes.Totogi’s AI acts, and operators see the business results. We know how operators are using AI, and we know what an AI-native telco requires: AI that understands how the operator actually works, so it can act safely across the entire telco. Totogi joined ANTA as one of two founding technology partners to do that work together with the rest of the community. This is the group showing the industry what works.”

ANTA is supported by TelecomTV, which will provide the platform, research capabilities and editorial resources needed to facilitate industry engagement and knowledge sharing throughout the year.

“AI is a strategic imperative for operators now,” said Guy Daniels, Chief Strategy Officer at TelecomTV. “The challenge is getting to grips with the fast-paced nature and complexity of the technology to move from isolated experiments to scalable deployment. ANTA exists to help the industry answer that question through shared knowledge, independent research and collective action to help accelerate the emergence of truly AI-native telecom operators and ensure they’re not left behind.”

Organisations interested in participating in ANTA can learn more and register their interest at https://www.telecomtv.com/content/anta-partnership/

About the AI-Native Telco Accelerator

The AI-Native Telco Accelerator (ANTA) is an industry-backed initiative dedicated to accelerating AI-native transformation across the telecom sector. Through research, community engagement and industry events, ANTA helps operators move from AI experimentation to scalable deployment by providing independent intelligence, practical guidance and opportunities for collaboration.

About TelecomTV

TelecomTV is the premier global media platform for the telecommunications industry, delivering breaking news, expert analysis, original video content, research and events that explore the technologies, innovations and trends shaping the future of communications.