Scaling private 5G: A live discussion about lessons learned

As usual, MWC 2026 was heavy on announcements and buzz as AI seemed to be stamped on half of the show floor. Attendees are getting sharper though and have honed their ability to separate the signal from the noise. Alas, distinguishing genuine progress from AI washing has become a discipline unto itself. In our post-MWC episode of Zero-Touch Live, Geoff Hollingworth speaks with telecom expert Chetan Sharma of Chetan Sharma Consulting to unpack what they saw, what surprised and what it means for telecom as we look ahead. Geoff and Chetan worked through the key themes from the week, spotlighting the meaningful progress they observed.

Satellite coverage will be one of the defining themes at #MWC26. A critical conversation happening beneath the headlines will be what actually changes when satellites become part of a mobile network’s operating model. On our Zero-Touch Live pre-MWC episode, Geoff Hollingworth spoke with Rakuten Symphony's Anshul Bhatt about what shifts operationally when NTN moves from concept to commercial reality. The discussion focused on OSS, assurance and real-world integration challenges rather than theory.

As telcos shift from hardware-centric networks to programmable, software-driven platforms, the traditional reseller and distributor model must also evolve. Telecom’s next phase of growth requires a different kind of partner ecosystem to support it and a different definition of value.

As AI-native architectures reshape how networks operate, fixed perimeters are disappearing. On this week’s Zero-Touch Live, Rakuten Symphony CMO Geoff Hollingworth spoke with Nagendra Bykampadi about how autonomous agents are continuously extending attack surfaces, forcing a rethink of zero trust for the 6G era.