Four Trends Redefining Telecoms in 2026

I asked Paul Wright, Chief Revenue Officer at Cambridge Broadband Network Group (CBNG) to share his perspective on the transformation trends reshaping telecom networks and monetization strategies.

Over to you Paul:

Four trends that will redefine telecoms in 2026

As we enter the new year, telecoms is at a pivotal moment. Connectivity demand is surging driven by AI-heavy applications, data-intensive enterprises and the expectation that networks adapt as fast as the services they support.

The next wave of telecom growth won’t come from building bigger networks; it will stem from making existing networks smarter, faster and more profitable. Recent analysis shows that more than 50% of telecom CEOs fear their organizations won’t remain viable over the next decade if they continue operating on legacy architectures, highlighting how urgently modernization is needed.

This market tension highlights the gap between ambition and action and why 2026 must be a year of meaningful transformation.

2026: The year of monetization and transformation

Telecoms is redefining how networks are built, managed and monetized. Mobile data traffic is accelerating, and so is the adoption of 5G. Ericsson forecasts that 5G will carry 83% of all mobile data by 2031, up from 34% in 2024.

The focus is shifting from rollout to monetization as standalone 5G, enterprise services and network slicing go mainstream.

In 2026, operators that prioritize intelligence over scale will lead the market. Success will hinge on extracting greater value from existing spectrum, assets and technology – transforming networks into agile, revenue-generating platforms.

Four trends that will redefine telecoms in 2026

With conventional frameworks facing mounting stress, four transformative forces stand out: lower mmWave spectrum, Telco-as-a-Service (TaaS), AI-driven autonomy, and the rise of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). Combined, these trends are catalysts for growth and opportunity.

1. Lower mmWave (24–30 GHz) spectrum

The first trend is the realization of lower mmWave spectrum from a niche or outlier capability to an operational advantage. Historically underutilized due to licensing complexity or scarcity, specialized equipment requirements, and challenging propagation characteristics, the 24–30 GHz band has been seen as either impractical at best or simply unavailable at worst for many operators.

That is likely to change in 2026. Next-generation radios and antennas are improving performance; regulators are moving toward more accessible licensing frameworks and technology advances are helping mitigate propagation hurdles. For both large and small operators, lower mmWave is set to become a critical enabler of high-capacity connectivity.

Supporting this shift, regulators worldwide are accelerating efforts to make lower mmWave accessible.

In the UK, Ofcom’s auction of 5.4 GHz of spectrum across the 26 GHz and 40 GHz bands, its largest spectrum release to date, positions mmWave as a cornerstone for urban, industrial and rural connectivity.

Canada is moving in a similar direction, with ISED’s consultation on 26 GHz and 38 GHz bands exploring both wide-area auctions and local licensing to broaden access.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Information and Communications Council has submitted technical requirements for 5G in the 26 GHz and 40 GHz bands to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, building on existing 28 GHz spectrum licensing and reinforcing the country’s commitment to securing additional spectrum to meet rising data demand.

Together, these moves signal a global consensus: lower mmWave is shifting from an experimental technology to an essential building block of next-generation networks.

2. Emerging delivery models: TaaS

A second major trend for 2026 is the rise of TaaS, a model where operators shift from static infrastructure ownership to on-demand, cloud-native service delivery.

Enabled by spectrum slicing, virtualization and modular cloud-native cores, TaaS opens new revenue models while giving operators unprecedented flexibility in how network capacity is consumed and monetized.

Spectrum license owners will increasingly partner with infrastructure providers to deliver network slices and connectivity as scalable, on-demand services - selling capacity to other operators, enterprises, municipalities and private networks.

By turning coverage into a dynamic wholesale asset rather than a fixed CAPEX commitment, this approach makes previously uneconomical regions commercially viable and supports more collaborative strategies to close rural and remote connectivity gaps.

This shift is already visible. Orange’s launch of the world’s first 5G Core Network-as-a-Service (CNaaS) offers a fully hosted, cloud-based 5G standalone core that operators can deploy without upfront infrastructure investment.

With a pay-as-you-grow model and integrated managed services, Orange lowers barriers to 5G SA adoption and accelerates access to advanced capabilities such as real-time signaling, secure roaming and analytics.

It illustrates a broader market transition toward scalable, service-driven architectures that help operators close the gap between ambition and execution - positioning 2026 as a decisive year for operational transformation.

Beyond faster deployment, TaaS improves efficiency through virtualization, multi-tenant operations and cloud-based orchestration. It also lays out the foundation for future innovations, including AI-driven network control, deeper edge integration and fully automated diagnostics and lifecycle management.

This signals a reshaping of telecom economics and a shift toward platform-based business models.

3. AI-driven network autonomy

The third forecasted trend this year is that AI will evolve from basic automation to near-autonomous network management in 2026, optimizing performance, predicting failures and reducing operational costs at scale.

Platforms like Ericsson’s Intelligent Automation Platform and collaborations with cloud partners are already showing how AI can detect, diagnose and resolve issues automatically.

Using Agentic AI and cloud-native orchestration, networks can address faults as they occur, and real-world data shows how effective this is. EY reports that AI-driven outage prediction models helped avoid 40,000 customer outages in just two months.

This demonstrates how autonomous network operations can dramatically improve reliability while enabling next-generation services like network slicing and ultra-low-latency applications.

As technology continues to advance, AI will become the backbone of telecoms operations and the enabler of next generation connectivity.

4. The growth of FWA into communities

Fixed Wireless Access is rapidly emerging as a cost-effective and scalable alternative to fiber, driven by 5G’s speed, reliability and flexibility.

This is particularly critical for underserved communities and high-density environments such as multi-dwelling units (MDUs), where the expense and disruption of deploying fiber to every residence can be prohibitive.

By leveraging existing in-building wiring or shared cabling, FWA enables multiple tenants to access gigabit-class connectivity without costly rewiring, delivering fiber-like performance at a fraction of the time and cost.

Global momentum underscores this shift. According to The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) report 248 operators worldwide have launched 5G FWA services as of late 2025, with Europe leading adoption and the Middle East and Africa accelerating deployments.

What was once seen primarily as a rural broadband option is now a mainstream competitor to fixed fiber, addressing surging demand for high-speed broadband fueled by remote work, streaming and cloud services.

Today, according to Ericsson 81% of service providers offer FWA, and more than half monetize through speed-based pricing, rising to 70% among 5G FWA providers.

Connections are forecast to grow from 185 million in 2025 to 350 million by 2031, ultimately serving 1.4 billion people worldwide.

Regional growth is strongest in Western Europe, which leads speed-tier monetization, while Latin America is poised for rapid 5G FWA expansion.

The road ahead for telecoms

The telecom industry is entering a new era where success depends less on building bigger networks and more on making existing ones easier to manage, faster and more profitable.

In 2026, operators that embrace this shift will gain a decisive competitive edge. The focus must move from scale to intelligence - leveraging spectrum, virtualization and automation to unlock new value and deliver agile, revenue-generating platforms through emerging operating models.

A challenge for telecom operators is clear: they must bridge the gap between ambition and execution to lead the charge toward a hyper-connected future, or risk being outpaced in a world where connectivity defines competitiveness.

Thank you Paul. Absolutely brilliant analysis!

Connect with Paul on LinkedIn and read more about CBNG at www.cbng.co.uk.