It’s summer here in Northern California, and the team is enjoying a nice break while preparing for our upcoming AI in Networking Report (2025 Edition). Last year’s response to the inaugural edition was outstanding, and we’re expecting this year’s to be equally popular. We’re taking briefings and scheduling video interviews. If you’re interested in participating, we might be able to accommodate you — please reach out to us at [email protected].

Later this Fall and going into Winter, we’ll be releasing other reports covering enterprise SASE/ZTNA, NaaS, data center networking, and private wireless.

Speaking of SASE and ZTNA, we’d like to thank our friends at Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions (EEWS) for supporting the research brief on Zero Trust in the 5G Era! More information on the commissioned brief is below.

Here’s what the rest of our newsletter has in store for you:

Roy’s Non-Travelogue — Ramblings of a non-rambling analyst
Latest Reports — Zero Trust in the 5G Era
Recent Articles— AI in Cybersecurity (3-part blog)
NextGenInfra — Fiber Connect 2025
July News Roundup — 5G SA deployments continue, Sovereign AI and neoclouds, HPE/Juniper closes, Palo Alto Networks buys Identity Security/PAM expert CyberArk
Other Content — AvidThink in the News, Webinars, Meet Us Live

Stay tuned for our upcoming reports in the Fall and Winter!

Roy’s Non-Travelogue

As you read above, we’re hard at work on our AI in Networking (2025 edition), enterprise connectivity (SASE/ZTNA/NaaS), private wireless, and data center networking reports. If you are interested in supporting those reports with a sponsorship, you know how to reach us. BTW, sponsors get both a 10-minute featured interview and 2-3-minute highlights video showcased on nextgeninfra.io and our YouTube channel. Our channel is nearing 60K subscribers now (up from 50K earlier this year) — we expect to cross that next threshold when we launch our AI in Networking 2025 showcase.

Meanwhile, it’s been a busy summer for AI, marked by significant developments in coding tools (Windsurf, OpenAI, Cognition), fundraising and valuations of frontier model builders, and the evolution of agentic AI. MCP, A2A, ACP, and other protocols and frameworks for agentic collaboration flood our news streams and show signs of slowing. We’ll have more to say about that in the upcoming report, so stay tuned!

Previewing our Fall conference line-up, we’re confirmed to be at FutureNet Asia in Singapore in September. It’s a well-run conference (kudos to Giles Cummings and the FutureNet World team), and I’m looking forward to catching up with the APAC carriers. Following that will be OCP Global Summit 2025 back here in San Jose — data center and AI hardware, networking, and cooling extravaganza. Then there’s the AI Networking Summit/ONUG Fall (Oct 22-23) in NYC, which I encourage you to attend, although Jim Carroll (our media partner) and I aren’t 100% sure we can make it due to schedule conflicts. November will see both Jim and me at Mplify Alliance (formerly MEF) Global NaaS Event in Dallas (10-12 November), along with Network Automation Forum AutoCon4 (grab those early bird tickets today) in Austin, TX (19-21 November).

On top of these conferences, there’s also MWC Las Vegas, Network X Europe, Capacity Europe, KubeCon NA, TMForum Innovate, and other important gatherings which we’re still working through — so many conferences, so little time. In any case, I do hope to see you at a conference in the Fall. Do drop me a line if you’ll be at one of the confirmed ones we’re attending!

– Roy for the AvidThink Team

Latest at NextGenInfra.io

Missed checking out the Fiber Connect 2025 Showcase on NextGenInfra.io? Check out what industry leaders have to share on the fiber industry — a critical part of US infrastructure building for the future, especially those AI data centers and last mile loops for humans browsing on the internet.

2025 July News Roundup

5G

AT&T Deploys 5G Cell Site on Marine Buoy
AT&T, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy and Naval Postgraduate School, deployed a wind- and solar-powered 5G cell site on a buoy in Monterey Bay. Equipped with a low-band RAN and omnidirectional antenna, it connects via mid-haul to the NPS campus and offers half-mile maritime coverage with Starlink for backup. It also transmits oceanographic data and tracks tagged marine life.

Liberty and Ericsson to Launch Costa Rica’s First 5G SA Core
Liberty will deploy a cloud-native dual-mode 5G standalone core and 1,400+ sites across Costa Rica, marking a regional first. The network will support IoT and consumer services with a 2026 go-live. Nokia had previously announced a smaller-scale 5G SA rollout with RASCA.

Dell’Oro: 5G SA Driving 6% CAGR in Mobile Core Market
Dell’Oro Group predicts a 6% CAGR in the mobile core market, driven by 5G SA rollouts across 39 countries by 70 operators. The rise of GenAI and agentic AI could accelerate growth beyond these forecasts.

GSMA: 5G Connections in Asia-Pacific to Hit 50% by 2030
GSMA projects 5G will reach 50% penetration in Asia-Pacific by 2030, up from 18% in 2024, with $254B in further investment expected. Spectrum costs and digital divides remain key challenges, with 48% of the population still offline.

T-Mobile Deploys L4S Across Nationwide 5G-Advanced Network
T-Mobile enabled Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable Throughput (L4S) nationwide, improving responsiveness for XR, cloud gaming, and remote driving. L4S leverages its 5G SA core and network slicing capabilities, with trials underway with Vay, Qualcomm, and Ericsson.

EE Expands 5G SA Coverage to 45+ UK Cities
EE is rolling out 5G SA to reach 41 million UK residents by spring 2026. The upgrade includes Vo5G SA and enhances secure mobile experiences for video streaming and gaming.

MedUX: London 5G Lags Behind Other Major Cities
Crowdsourced testing from MedUX shows London’s 5G experience underperforms compared to other European cities, contradicting the UK’s Digital Strategy goals for near-universal Gigabit access by 2030.

AT&T Announces Nationwide Availability of 5G RedCap
AT&T launched 5G RedCap across 200M+ PoPs, supporting 30–80 Mbps throughput in 20 MHz channels. RedCap, defined by 3GPP Release 17, targets IoT use cases but depends on 5G SA, which AT&T hasn’t confirmed for nationwide availability.

Orange France and Samsung Complete Open RAN Calls
Orange and Samsung completed 4G and 5G calls on vRAN/Open RAN in southwestern France. The pilot, part of Orange’s diversification strategy, will expand across more sites by year-end.

Reliance Jio Hits 213M 5G Subscribers
Reliance Jio reached 213M 5G subscribers—45% of its base—after launching in 2022. Its AirFiber FWA now has 7.4M users, and the company posted a $824M net profit in Q1.

AI

AI-RAN Market to Exceed $10B by 2029
Dell’Oro projects AI-RAN will reach $10B by 2029, driven by D-RAN and energy-efficient operations. Despite AI benefits in performance and automation, revenue growth remains a concern for operators.

Bell Canada and Cohere Partner on Sovereign AI Platform
Bell Canada will provide Cohere with sovereign AI infrastructure for government and enterprise use. The collaboration ensures data residency and security, while enabling access to Bell’s network and data centers.

Cloud

European Cloud Market Set to Reach $85B in 2025
Synergy Research forecasts 24% YoY growth in Europe’s cloud market, with hyperscalers holding 70% share. Sovereignty concerns have enabled local providers to maintain a 15% foothold, though their long-term outlook remains uncertain.

Google Cloud Revenue Hits $13.6B in Q2, CapEx Raised to $85B
Google Cloud revenue surged 32% to $13.6B in Q2, prompting Alphabet to boost 2025 capex to $85B. Its backlog grew 38% to $106B, driven by billion-dollar AI infrastructure deals, but supply chain limits may constrain revenue conversion.

IBM Grows AI and Hybrid Cloud, Despite Software Revenue Miss
IBM posted 8% YoY revenue growth with $7.5B from GenAI, driven by RHEL AI, Granite models, and watsonx. Despite strong AI and infrastructure performance, software revenue shortfalls and macroeconomic concerns weighed on its outlook.

Demand for Sovereign AI Clouds Boosts “Neocloud” Providers
AI-driven data privacy concerns are fueling demand for sovereign clouds, with 54 “neocloud” providers like CoreWeave raising $10B in 2024. The segment is expected to grow at a 36% CAGR, as enterprises seek jurisdictional control over LLM workloads.

Oracle Commits $3B to Expand AI and Cloud in Europe
Oracle will invest $3B over five years, focusing on Germany and the Netherlands, to meet EU data sovereignty requirements. It anticipates over $30B in new annual revenue by FY28, as part of broader $25B capex plans.

Microsoft Cloud Demand Outpaces $24B CapEx Spend
Microsoft added 2 GW of data center capacity in Q2 but faces a $368B order backlog, with only 35% recognized as FY revenue. Azure now runs at a $75B annual rate, driven by unrelenting AI demand.

APIs

Ericsson’s Aduna JV with 12 Operators Targets Global Network APIs
Ericsson’s 50:50 Aduna Global JV includes AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and major tech firms to unify network APIs. The platform aims to scale global programmable network services with features like fraud prevention and compliance tooling, led by ex-Vonage COO Anthony Bartolo.

Private 5G

Nokia to Build Private 5G Network for Memphis Utility
Nokia will deploy a private 5G network for Memphis Light, Gas and Water to modernize grid operations. The deployment includes AirScale RAN, 5G Core, microwave backhaul, and NetGuard cybersecurity, supporting smart meters and grid sensors.

Private Networks Market to Hit $6B by 2030
Mobile Experts forecasts $6B in private cellular market value by 2030 (excluding slicing), with an additional $6.5B from related services. LTE dominates now, but 5G use is accelerating in sectors like energy, logistics, and mining.

Edge

Intel Plans to Spin Off Network and Edge Group
Intel will spin off its Network and Edge Group as a standalone company focused on silicon for communications and Ethernet infrastructure. The restructuring aligns with CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s cost-cutting and AI-focused roadmap.

SD-WAN

Arista to Acquire VeloCloud SD-WAN Business from Broadcom
Arista will acquire VeloCloud from Broadcom to enhance its SD-WAN and cloud networking portfolio. The deal adds support for integrated 5G/Wi-Fi and security, aligning with Arista’s AI-driven vision of WAN evolution.

HPE Completes $14B Acquisition of Juniper Networks
HPE closed its $14B Juniper acquisition to expand in AI and hybrid networking. DOJ approval required HPE to divest WLAN assets and license Mist’s AI code, enabling deeper competition with Cisco.

Fortinet Joins Leaders in 2025 Gartner SASE Magic Quadrant
Fortinet entered Gartner’s 2025 SASE Leader Quadrant alongside Palo Alto Networks, Netskope, and Cato Networks. Gartner assessed vendors offering fully integrated single-vendor SASE with embedded SD-WAN capabilities.

Security

Palo Alto Networks to Acquire CyberArk for $25B
Palo Alto Networks will acquire CyberArk in a $25B deal to enter the identity security space. The deal highlights a shift from siloed IAM/PAM to credential-centric security, with 90% of breaches involving credential misuse.

Open RAN

Rakuten Mobile Names Vendors for Japan 5G SA Rollout
Rakuten will use Cisco, Nokia, F5, and Rakuten Symphony for its 5G SA core deployment. The solution includes cloud-native packet core, IMS, API security, and traffic management on Rakuten’s own platform.