Summary
At this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the focus was on AI and its rapidly evolving role in telecom and enterprise technology.
Another year, another incredible Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona! In the lead-up to the event, there were discussions about whether it would match last year’s scale, but from our perspective, the energy and attendance were undeniable. Navigating the show floor was as challenging as ever (18,000 steps per day!), with packed halls and a buzz of excitement throughout the venue.
MWC continues to be the epicenter for groundbreaking announcements and industry-defining conversations. Over the past few years, Open RAN (O-RAN) dominated discussions, but this year, the topic seemed to take a backseat, with fewer headline-grabbing announcements. Instead, the spotlight was firmly on artificial intelligence (AI) and its rapidly evolving role in telecom and enterprise technology.
The Telefonica stand at Mobile World Congress. In a keynote session, Marc Murtra, Telefonica S.A., Chairman and CEO, discussed how “Change always comes with consequences and risks, but in technology, we need to make decisions, take risks, and change. If we continue doing the same things, we’ll continue getting the same results.” (Source)
The Shift from Generative AI to Agentic AI
Last year, the focus was largely on generative AI (GenAI), specifically around the topics of creating content, processing data, and training models. This year, however, the conversation evolved toward agentic AI, which emphasizes the practical implementation of AI-driven decision-making.
For Pure Storage, AI is a key strategic focus. What remains consistent across AI discussions is that data sits at the heart of every innovation. Traditionally, storage has been treated as a commodity investment; however, our customers and partners were all strongly advocating that data is now one of the most valuable assets a company holds. Our mission is to help customers build the right storage infrastructure to support AI-driven telco advancements, particularly in autonomous networks and next-generation telco applications.
The Cloud Debate: Public vs. Sovereign Cloud
The role of the cloud in telecom remains a nuanced debate. While public cloud adoption for network functions appears to have plateaued (for now!), discussions around sovereign cloud strategies have gained momentum. This is particularly relevant in EMEA, where geopolitical considerations and data sovereignty concerns play a significant role in cloud decision-making.
The question remains: Will network functions and core applications ever fully transition to the public cloud at scale? From our conversations with customers, the answer is still uncertain. However, the public cloud’s role in managing large data volumes, transaction processing, and compute-heavy workloads is undeniable.
The Deutsche Telekom stand at MWC. In a keynote, Tim Höttges, Deutsche Telekom CEO, stated, “We must reduce regulatory burdens. Deutsche Telekom serves 270 regulators, including media, cybersecurity, privacy, and telecommunications regulation at local and national levels. Europe needs an initiative to cut down bureaucracy and administration, which hinders our industry’s potential.” (Source)
The Rise of Containerization and the Cloud Continuum
Another major theme at MWC was the continued push for containerization as the backbone of telco cloud transformation. Pure Storage participated in a dynamic panel discussion with Red Hat and Virgin Media O2 (Telefónica). During the discussion, which was moderated by RCR Wireless News, we explored how containerization is evolving across cloud IT, network cloud, and even into the Radio Access Network (RAN) cloud.
While containerization is not new by any stretch, its adoption in telco has been slower due to concerns around security and enterprise-grade infrastructure. As the industry moves toward an open source ecosystem, ensuring robust security frameworks and operational consistency will be critical to accelerating adoption.
Open RAN: A Single-vendor Reality?
Despite significant investments in Open RAN, a single-vendor approach remains dominant. This raises important questions: Does Open RAN need a single-vendor model to reach maturity before evolving into a true multi-vendor ecosystem? Technically, a multi-vendor model is feasible, but the real challenge lies in ensuring commercial viability at scale.
RAN is also being impacted by AI, and the AI-RAN Alliance was on display in many vendor booths. Pure Storage recently announced its membership in the alliance.
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Final Thoughts
MWC 2025 reaffirmed that the telecom industry is at an inflection point, driven by AI, cloud evolution, and network transformation. For Pure Storage, the key takeaway is that data strategy is no longer just an infrastructure concern; it is a competitive differentiator. As AI and automation continue to reshape telco, having the right data foundation will be crucial for success.
We look forward to continuing these conversations and driving innovation alongside our partners and customers. Until next year, Barcelona!
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