Telecoms industry shifts from theory to practice with Open RAN, NTN, and AI

The telecoms industry is shifting from theoretical possibilities to practical implementations across several key technologies. At Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2025, industry leaders highlighted the growing maturity of Open RAN networks, the commercial reality of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), and the practical applications of AI in solving real-world telecoms challenges. This evolution represents a significant transition as operators now focus on building the fundamental infrastructure necessary to support these innovations long-term.

The big picture: Open RAN technology has moved beyond discussions of theoretical potential to demonstrating real-world maturity and ecosystem growth.

• “Maturity is not a discussion anymore, I think we are seeing maturity happening,” stated Sameh Yamany, corporate CTO of VIAVI Solutions, during MWC Barcelona 2025.
• The company’s VALOR (VIAVI Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN) lab is seeing significant innovation contributions from companies of all sizes, indicating broader ecosystem acceptance.

Key developments: Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) have progressed from concept to commercial reality over the past year.

• Operators have established partnerships and conducted extensive testing, with some services already launching and more expected throughout 2025.
• The technology presents complex challenges requiring sophisticated testing solutions that can emulate satellite constellations and analyze radio link effects in real-time.

Practical focus: AI dominated MWC discussions, but with an emphasis on solving current telecommunications challenges rather than theoretical future applications.

• VIAVI highlighted practical AI applications in new Open RAN deployments and for assisting human technicians with interference hunting.
• “When you start thinking about how people are talking about AI right now, it is more focused on the practicality of it—how I can really use it to solve real problems that I have today,” explained Yamany.

Behind the scenes: The telecoms industry is recognizing the need to rebuild fundamental infrastructure to support long-term innovation.

• Operators initially focused on pushing boundaries with 5G, AI, and Open RAN but may have overlooked some necessary infrastructure improvements.
• Industry leaders acknowledge that rebuilding fundamental systems “is not as sexy” as new innovations but is essential for realizing their full potential.