MWC26: Open Telecom Agent-Based Intelligence Initiative launched at MWC Barcelona 2026

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye

A new global initiative aimed at establishing interoperable and vendor-agnostic artificial intelligence foundations for telecom networks was officially launched at MWC Barcelona 2026.

The Open Telecom Agent-Based Intelligence (OTAI) Initiative seeks to develop open protocols and shared building blocks that enable AI agents across vendors, operators and ecosystems to cooperate effectively. The effort is designed as a neutral, collaborative platform to ensure that as telecom networks become increasingly agent-driven, interoperability and trust remain central principles.

The initiative has been launched through a collaboration involving Khalifa University, UNICEF, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the GSMA and the Linux Foundation. It brings together stakeholders from academia, international organizations, industry bodies and open-source communities.

Lina Bariah will serve as General Co-Chair of OTAI, alongside Ivan Dotu of UNICEF. The advisory board includes representatives from leading institutions across telecom and global standards development, including Merouane Debbah of Khalifa University, Vishnu Ram OV of the ITU, Christopher Fabian of UNICEF, Louis Powell of the GSMA, Arpit Joshipura of the Linux Foundation, and Yapeng Wang of the ITU.

The initiative is anchored on a central question facing the telecommunications industry: as networks become increasingly agentic, who defines how AI agents communicate and collaborate across systems? OTAI aims to provide a foundational framework to address that challenge while promoting open, cooperative innovation across the sector.