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Video

Beyond the Hype: 5G SA Deployment, Digital Sovereignty, and the Road to 6G

An Ookla and Omdia Interview

Mobile World Congress, 2026

The following interview, recorded at Mobile World Congress 2026, features a deep dive into the evolving telecom landscape. Luke Kehoe, Ookla Europe Analyst, sits down with Olivier Loridan, Omdia Senior Analyst, to discuss the tangible progress of 5G Standalone (5G SA) and the emergence of “sovereignty” as a dominant industry theme. From the exhibition floor in Barcelona, they explore how the industry is moving past the hype of previous years to focus on deployment, security, and the persistent challenge of monetization.

Key Takeaways

  • Dynamic Slicing Gains Momentum: While slicing is in early commercial stages (especially outside of enterprise use cases), new AI-integrated demos (notably from Nokia and AWS) show how slices can be dynamically allocated in real-time for critical use cases like emergency response. Skepticism around dynamic slicing as a scalable solution remains, however.
    The Sovereignty Mandate: Digital autonomy and sovereignty have become top priorities for European telcos, driven by government demand for localized cloud availability regions and secure, European-owned satellite constellations.
  • 6G is an Evolution, Not a Revolution: Industry consensus is forming around the idea that the 5G Standalone core will remain the heart of 6G, with the next generation focusing more on radio upgrades in the FR3 bands rather than a total core layer reset.
  • Regional 5G SA Disparity: Data continues to show a significant gap in 5G SA adoption, with China, India, and the U.S. leading the way. In Europe, “muscular” government interventions, such as Spain’s UNICO recovery fund requirements, are proving essential to spurring deployment.
  • AI and Network Traffic: There is still uncertainty regarding how AI will impact network traffic. While there are early signs of increased uplink demand, the ultimate burden on the last-mile network depends on whether AI inference happens on-device or in the cloud.
  • The Monetization Challenge: Telcos are increasingly looking toward dedicated uplink tiers, premium quality-of-service packages, and specialized enterprise segments (like energy and utilities) to recoup their massive 5G infrastructure investments in advanced markets.
Resources Videos

Video

Mauritania’s Best Mobile Network: An Interview with Mattel CEO Elyes Ben Sassi

An Ookla Research™ Interview

Mobile World Congress, 2026

In this interview from Mobile World Congress, Mr. Elyes Ben Sassi, CEO of Mattel Mauritania, discusses the company’s recent recognition as the “Best Mobile Operator” in Mauritania and outlines their strategic shift from a connectivity provider to a comprehensive digital service provider. He highlights the massive infrastructure investments driving their 5G readiness and the launch of new fintech and B2B solutions aimed at fostering financial inclusion and digital growth across the country.

Key Takeaways

  • Award-Winning Performance: Mattel was recently named the Best Mobile Operator in Mauritania, a distinction recognizing their sustained investment in broadband development and quality of service.
  • Market Position: Established in 2000 as a subsidiary of the Tunisie Telecom Group, Mattel holds over 30% market share and has been active for more than 25 years in the Mauritanian telecommunications sector.
  • 5G Readiness and Deployment: The company has integrated 5G-ready equipment and massive MIMO technology into its radio network, achieving speeds three times faster than previous benchmarks. Mattel intends to participate in the government’s 5G licensing process with the goal of launching services this year.
  • AI-Driven Optimization: Mattel is shifting its strategy from simple expansion to intelligent optimization by gradually introducing AI into its network operations to anticipate congestion and detect faults before they impact customers.
  • Three Pillars of Growth:
    • Fintech: The launch of Mattel Money, a subsidiary authorized by the central bank to provide electronic money services and promote financial inclusion.
    • Home Broadband: Expanding Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) via 4G LTE TDD technology, with future upgrades to 5G.
    • B2B Services: Enhancing their portfolio with ICT solutions, including managed services, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and IoT.
Resources Videos

Video

Building the Network of the Future: EE's Competitive Strategy with 5G SA and Wi-Fi 7

First to the UK market with Wi-Fi 7 and investing in a 5G SA network that stands out in Europe for its spectrum depth, EE is leveraging its best-in-class networks to support an ambitious convergence strategy and differentiate itself in a crowded market by delivering premium network quality. 

Ookla has published extensive research on the rollout of 5G Standalone (SA) and Wi-Fi 7 across Europe in recent months, highlighting notable improvements in quality of experience where the technologies have been commercialized, while also revealing significant disparities in deployment progress between countries and operators. The research uncovered a common strategy among leading European operators, who are investing in 5G SA and Wi-Fi 7 as competitive differentiators, positioning themselves as premium market leaders in network quality across the converged experience.

Analysis of crowd-sourced Speedtest® data and controlled testing from RootMetrics®, as featured in the research, identified EE as one of Europe’s leading operators—boasting a large and growing high-performing 5G SA footprint, along with the UK’s first-of-its-kind Wi-Fi 7 CPE solution.

To gain deeper insight into EE’s competitive strategy, Ookla’s European Industry Analyst, Luke Kehoe, sat down with BT Group’s Managing Director of Mobile Networks, Reza Rahnama, at MWC 2025 to explore the operator’s drive for network leadership in the UK through 5G SA and Wi-Fi 7.


Watch this video to learn:


  • Why EE has gone “all-in” on 5G SA, backed by significant spectrum depth and a large, expanding site footprint across the UK. 


  • From a quality of experience standpoint, what do improvements in upload speed and latency enabled by 5G SA mean for the end user.


  • How does 5G SA fit into EE’s broader convergence strategy and dovetails with its Wi-Fi 7 push.


  • How EE is building a network of the future that is ready to support the demands of emerging AI services.

 
Resources Videos

Video

Revolutionizing Airport Connectivity: How Boingo Leverages Ookla's Comprehensive Network Intelligence

Airport network connectivity has become critical to powering essential operations and enhancing the travel experience. Boingo Wireless, a leader in airport wireless solutions, is at the forefront of this transformation, delivering advanced DAS, Wi-Fi, and private 5G networks across 130+ airports and transportation hubs worldwide.

Watch this video to learn:

  • How Boingo leverages Ookla’s Cell Analytics® for cellular planning

  • How Boingo uses Ekahau® for airport Wi-Fi design and optimization

  • The impact of cutting-edge wireless technology on airport operations and passenger experience

 
 
Resources Videos

Video

Open RAN as a Differentiator: Competitive Insights from Leading 5G Deployments

As Open RAN gains momentum worldwide, operators are leveraging it to build more agile, cost-effective, and high-performing networks. At MWC Barcelona, industry-leading CTOs from Boost Mobile (U.S.), 1&1 (Germany), and Paradise Mobile (Bermuda) joined us for an in-depth discussion on how Open RAN is acting as a competitive differentiator and delivering real-world advantages. Whether you’re an operator considering Open RAN or simply curious about its impact, this panel offers firsthand insights into its opportunities, challenges, and future potential.

Watch to Learn:

  • How Open RAN is unlocking architectural freedom and vendor independence
  • Real-world deployment successes from the U.S., Germany, and Bermuda
  • How Open RAN enables service differentiation and AI-driven network optimization
  • Key challenges operators face—and how they’re overcoming them
  • Expert advice for brownfield operators considering Open RAN adoption
Resources Videos

Video

In Conversation with EE CEO on Being the UK’s Best Network 10 Years In a Row

EE has been named by RootMetrics® as the UK’s Best Network ten years in a row.

In this video, Ookla Principal Enterprise Analyst Sylwia Kechiche chats with EE CEO Marc Allera about:  

  • How EE’s network team has ensured 10 years of superior performance
  • What being the Best Network means for EE customers in terms of speed and reliability
  • How network improvements have unlocked creativity and productivity for users 
  • EE’s plans for continuing to be the best network in the UK and providing world-class customer experience
Resources Videos

Video

In Conversation with Vodafone Qatar on Building the World’s Fastest Mobile Network

March 2, 2023

Vodafone Qatar has won the Speedtest Award™ for World’s Fastest Mobile Network, driving forward Qatar’s Vision 2030 which places emphasis on improving connectivity to spur economic growth and social development. 

In this video, Ookla Principal Enterprise Analyst Sylwia Kechiche sits down with Vodafone Qatar CTO Ramy Boctor and Enterprise Business Director Mahday Al-Hebabi to discuss: 

  • Network strategy and investments made by Vodafone Qatar to achieve this award
  • Approach to 5G deployments in order to build a network advantage
  • Synergies between mobile and fixed networks
  • Network experience metrics beyond speed 
  • Initiatives for improving 5G-adoption among younger demographics
  • Driving economic development through digital transformation
Resources Videos

Video

In Conversation with Smart Philippines on Increasing Subscribers in a Competitive Market

March 2, 2023

Smart Philippines has won the Speedtest Award™ for Best Mobile Network. To win this award, Smart won the awards for both Fastest Mobile Network and Best Mobile Coverage. 

In this video, Ookla Principal Enterprise Analyst Sylwia Kechiche sits down with Smart Philippines Head/FVP of Corporate Marketing & Strategy, Lloyd Manaloto, and PLDT FVP & Head of Network, Eric Santiago, to discuss: 

  • How working with Ookla has helped Smart differentiate their network and increase subscribership 
  • Initiatives for reducing customer churn
  • Strategies to expand network capacity to support increased data usage
  • Crucial metrics to evaluate network performance, including QoS and QoE 
  • Strategies for accelerating 5G adoption, particularly on smartphones 
  • Ways to improve energy efficiency and reduce OpEx
Resources Videos

Video

In Conversation with Three UK on Achieving Terabit 5G Speeds

March 1, 2023

Three UK is the Speedtest Awards™ winner for Fastest 5G Mobile Network in the United Kingdom during Q3–Q4 2022. According to their 20th anniversary report, Three UK saw a peak throughput exceeding 1.5 Tbps (1,500 Gbps), as well as 30% year-over-year growth.  

In this video, Ookla VP of Technology Brennen Smith sits down with Three UK Chief Network Officer Iain Milligan and Chief Network Architect Anil Darji to discuss: 

  • Strategies for increasing network capacity 
  • 5G Fixed Wireless Access as a way to bring connectivity to rural areas
  • Metrics for assessing network performance
  • Making networks more sustainable and efficient
  • Enabling new capabilities through cloud transformation
Resources Videos

Video

In Conversation with Orange Liberia CEO Jean Marius Yao

March 2, 2023

For the second year in a row, Orange Liberia has won the Speedtest Award™ for Best Mobile Network. To qualify for this award, Orange won the awards for both Fastest Mobile Network and Best Mobile Coverage during the time period. 

In this video, Ookla Principal Enterprise Analyst Sylwia Kechiche sits down with Orange Liberia CEO Jean Marius Yao to discuss: 

  • Network deployment strategies since entering the market
  • How being part of Orange Group has helped drive capacity further
  • Metrics beyond speed to look at when assessing network performance
  • Ensuring digital inclusion and rolling out networks to previously underserved areas
  • Initiatives for enhancing profitability given the economic climate