[MWC 2026] GlobalData publishes a whitepaper on the evolution of voice services in the AI ​​era

/PRNewswire/ — At MWC 2026, Andy Hicks, Senior Principal Analyst at GlobalData, released the white paper Reinventing Voice: A Converged, AI-Enabled, and Multimodal Voice Core for the Next Generation of Telecommunications gepubliceerd. The whitepaper highlights that in the AI ​​era, telecom companies can use a fully converged voice network to develop AI services and reshape the value of voice services.

Fully converged voice network: the optimal choice for telecom companies managing multi-generation networks

As 5G-A rollout accelerates, the development of global network standards remains uneven. Although 2G and 3G networks are nearing their end, some telecom companies are still required to maintain them to support essential services such as M2M communications and international roaming. In this context, a fully converged voice network supporting 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G services is becoming increasingly essential for telecom companies. Such a network addresses the operational challenges arising from lifecycle issues and lays the foundation for seamless future evolution.

With the global shift to containerization, the fully converged architecture provides a smooth transition from VMs to containers. This approach allows telecom companies to reduce their total cost of ownership (TCO) while maintaining continuous innovation and flexible updates of voice services.

AI + Voice: transforming the value of telecom companies’ voice services in three phases

The rapid advancement of AI offers new opportunities for innovation in voice services. According to Andy Hicks, the deep integration of AI and speech can be achieved through three key phases.

First, AI is used to improve the basic experience of telephone conversations and create a competitive advantage over OTT applications. Typical examples include intelligent noise cancellation and enhanced spatial audio, which upgrade conversations to a higher level of communication.

AI is then integrated into audio channels to introduce innovative features such as real-time translation and intelligent conversation summaries. There are no additional terminal device requirements for these services. Telecom companies can quickly implement these services to gain an edge over competitors in AI-driven innovations in voice services.

Finally, AI is being integrated into video and data channels to evolve voice innovation from a single communication modality to multimodality. This enables services such as interactive customer support and care assistants, and realizes the concept of Call-as-a-Service.

Andy Hicks emphasized that telecom companies must respond to the opportunities that AI offers. By leveraging a fully converged voice network as a foundation, they can drive service innovation and revitalize the core value of voice services, thanks to the combined advancements of 5G-A and AI.

Click to read the whitepaper: LINK

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