AI native telco: From lab dreams to market reality

June 23, 2026

15:30-17:15

Build Stage

AI & Data

Sessions in rooms

Chair: Roz Roseboro, Senior Principal Analyst, Omdia

15:30 - 16:00
How to build flexible business models for unpredictable markets
Moderator: Bob Titus, CTO, Netcracker
Tiago Rocha da Silva, CCO, Zain
Carolin Treichl, EVP, Kapsch TrafficCom AG

16:00 - 16:15
Psychological and sociological perspectives for successful introduction of AI

The social sciences have been engaged productively with both natural sciences and technology from their beginnings.
The benefits of this co-development have flowed in both directions
This talk will indicate how the introduction of artificial intelligence at scale in both technical and social applications can benefit from the accumulated experience from these earlier engagements.
Examples will range from the micro level of individual and group psychology via the social shaping of technology in organisations to the macro levels of policy and governance.

Jerome Carson, Professor of Psychology, Hume Institute Lausanne
Stephen Little, Professor Extraordinaire, Hume Institute Lausanne

16:15 - 16:30
AI-Native Telco: Operationalising an AI-centric reference architecture

Why telco AI stalls at scale: Architecture is the missing link
Moving from reference to reality: Scaling AI across a federated telco
AI-native telcos will be defined not by the models they use but by the architectures that allow

Shekhar Kulkarni, Global Chief Architect, Deutsche Telekom

16:30 - 16:45
Beyond AI experiments: building scalable telco operations

Understand how leading telecom operators are scaling AI beyond pilots to enterprise-wide adoption
Learn practical lessons from real-world AI transformation journeys
Explore the operating model, data and governance changes needed for AI-first organizations
Discover how AI can deliver measurable impact across cost, customer experience and revenue growth

Nathan Gumley, Executive, Strategy and Transformation, Telstra
Jinu Koshy, Vice President and Senior Industry Principal, Infosys

16:45 - 17:15
Rewiring the telco enterprise for AI-native growth: Leadership, trust and ecosystem execution
As AI shifts from experimentation to embedded capability, the challenge for telecoms is no longer building the technology, but scaling its use across the enterprise. Senior leaders from BT Group, Telefónica Germany, Vodafone and Google will share how they are reshaping architecture, operating models and partnerships to enable AI‑native growth.

How BT is evolving architecture and engineering practices to embed AI into core platforms
How Telefónica Germany is aligning strategy, architecture and culture to operationalise AI at scale
How Vodafone is enabling zero‑touch operations and transforming network test environments into “labs of the future”

Moderator: Ranjan Band, CTO Europe Telco & CX Business Lead, Tech Mahindra
Jen Hawes-Hewitt, Global Market Lead, Telecom Industry, Google Cloud
Eva Ulicevic, Director Architecture, Strategy and Technology Enablement, Telefónica Germany
David Perez, Chief Architect, BT Digital
Simon Norton, Director of Digital Network & OSS Engineering, Vodafone

Timings are provisional only and may be subject to change.