From megabits to outcomes – the monetization shift that defined MWC 2026
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MWC 2026 showed a clear shift in monetization toward selling connectivity as predictable outcomes, like a video call that never fails, a stadium experience that just works, and enterprise connectivity with guaranteed performance.
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AI is changing both what networks need to deliver and what customers will pay for, making reliable, secure, high‑performance connectivity more important as AI moves from centralized clouds to distributed, real‑time use.
Vice President Head of Marketing
Vice President Head of Marketing
Vice President Head of Marketing
All week here at MWC 2026, between customer meetings and conversations on the show floor, one question kept coming back: "How do we monetize the network platform as it continues to evolve?"
That question matters more now than ever because AI is changing both what networks need to deliver and what customers will pay for. The rapid rise of AI services has driven massive growth in compute capacity needs. But as AI expands from centralized clouds to distributed, real-time inference, the demand for high-performance connectivity is already surging. For industries and society to truly benefit, AI and networks must evolve together because even the most powerful AI engine performs poorly when the connectivity isn't up to par.
Differentiated connectivity is about outcomes
Across many of our discussions this week, the framing shifted from “megabits per second” to outcomes:
- a video call that never fails
- a stadium experience that just works
- enterprise connectivity with assured performance
This is what we often call differentiated connectivity, and there are myths around this concept that we need to bust. One of them is that the demand is not there. On the contrary, the demand is clearly there.
In our consumer research, we asked users if they could see moments in time where they would be willing to pay more for the network performance. 40 percent could identify opportunities where they really need guaranteed performance, and half of those would be willing to pay for it.
This creates an opportunity for service providers to talk about value in a different way. Instead of the usual “You get this many megabits per second,” it becomes “What do you need to succeed, right now, in this place, for this experience?”
I explored exactly this with Patrick Johansson, our Head of Market Area Europe, Middle East and Africa, in our "Beyond the Buzzwords" conversation. Watch it below:
Networks for AI and AI for networks
This week, AI came up in almost every conversation. reinforcing how tightly monetization is now linked to AI.
In this next industrial phase of AI, best-effort connectivity, such as 4G and Wi-Fi, will not be sufficient to provide the required reliability, security or performance. Over time, advanced connectivity based on 5G Standalone, and over time 6G, will be needed to deliver guaranteed performance.
We often describe the network evolution journey around two aspects:
- AI for networks: leveraging AI across the entire network stack to improve performance, efficiency, and to build intent-driven, autonomous networks that can act on business intent without constant human intervention.
- Networks for AI: constructing networks that provide the connectivity infrastructure required by enterprise and consumer AI applications.
The progression here is real and rapid. Until recently, AI primarily operated in the background, enhancing efficiency rather than redefining user experiences. Generative AI changed that by making AI accessible, interactive, and mainstream. Next comes the agentic AI phase, which will have even less tolerance for network uncertainty.
Beyond that lies the era of physical AI, which will require differentiated connectivity at massive scale and create entirely new revenue opportunities for CSPs.
What does this mean in practice? New requirements on uplink capacity, latency stability, reliability, and security, as well as the ability to configure and assure connectivity characteristics rapidly, at scale, and autonomously.
The transformation to performance-based service offerings
On Wednesday I had the honor to moderate a session in the Ericsson conference program that brought together representatives from Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile, Jio, KDDI and Singtel to showcase how they are evolving mobile broadband.
We discussed how leading service providers are adding performance-based, differentiated connectivity alongside traditional volume-based data buckets. The latest Ericsson Mobility Report (November 2025) reveals at least 65 commercial differentiated connectivity offerings globally, leveraging capabilities like 5G Standalone, network slicing, and API exposure.
We explored new pricing strategies, the organizational shifts required to bring these offers to market, and partnerships that enable rapid innovation. The message was clear. The proof-of-concept phase is over, and commercial scale is now within reach.
Outcome-based offers are already happening
This isn't theoretical. Kudos to the many CSPs that are also experimenting and scaling in different ways.
We're seeing a variety of packaging models emerge:
- Consumer boosts and add-ons. CSPs have explored turbo-style packages with additional capacity and a boost for a limited time window.
- Stadium and event experiences. We've seen "turbocharging" concepts linked to big venues and major events where CSPs are building offers around the promise that the experience will just work even in the hardest radio environments.
- Enterprise assured-performance offers. A strong example is Fixed Wireless Access packaged with a guarantee. Performance is provided through a slice, and accountability is part of the offer.
- Location- and role-based slicing. In venue environments, a point-of-sale terminal, a vending machine and cameras used for security or broadcast have different needs but may share a common slicing approach with slight tweaks, for instance around camera mobility. Differentiation by user type and location is part of how these offers become operationally meaningful and commercially valuable.
- Public sector and mission-critical. Assured performance connectivity plays a role in scenarios where stability, resilience, and security are non-negotiable.
The key shift is consistent across these examples: selling connectivity in terms of predictable outcomes, backed by assurance.
To scale these offers beyond individual deals, network capabilities need to be exposed to the wider ecosystem. Network APIs are what make that possible. Aduna pulls together APIs from multiple operators into a single access point so developers can scale across markets while CSPs monetize their capabilities at global scale.
What comes next?
MWC 2026 reinforces two simple points. Networks are coming into play as platforms, and AI is reshaping the way networks are built, operated, and monetized.
But the opportunity doesn't come automatically. The keys are to start experimenting, align commercial and technology leadership around assured outcomes, and build the ecosystem reach through standardized APIs and developer channels. The CSPs that will win are the ones that will move from selling bandwidth to selling outcomes people and enterprises actually need.
I left Barcelona more convinced than ever that the commercial proof points are there, and the ecosystem is ready. Now it's about scaling what works.
Together, we can show how to evolve the telco ecosystem towards vibrant new services and sustainable monetization.
Further reading
See what Ericsson was up to at MWC 2026 in Barcelona
Winning in the market with differentiated connectivity offerings
Rethink monetization: Expand your business horizons