Open to communication service providers (CSP) / operators and vendors and other partners with a named operator.

Recognising the most compelling service offered in the B2B sphere by a CSP/operator selling directly or indirectly to business end users, such as for example managed networks, security, voice services, messaging, cloud, IOT solutions and on-demand connectivity.

Open to CSP/operators and vendors and other partners with a named operator.

This category is recognising transformation of business and organisational activities, processes, culture and competencies through a mix of digital technologies. This category looks for more than just technology, recognising the impact of transformation programmes on interactions with customers and employees and on the efficiency and effectiveness of operational processes.

Open to CSP/operators and vendors and other partners with a named operator.

In this category the judges are looking for a network transformation project that goes beyond a simple equipment supply deal and is delivering a step-change in operational excellence.

Open to all women who have stood out within the telecom industry for individual achievement and contribution, regardless of the type of organisation they work for: CSP/MNO/supplier.

The judges will be seeking a widely admired woman from the industry, not necessarily one working for the largest organisation or the most senior position.

Open to all providers of IT and telecoms services.

Total experience is where traditional customer experience seamlessly integrates with employee experience and user experience across all touchpoints to deliver the best overall experience for your client. Gartner say delivering excellent total experience leads to more resilient business outcomes and creates business value enabling organisation to transform their business and operating models to achieve comparative and competitive advantages. The judges will be looking for evidence of a holistic experience strategy that recognise that a total experience is critical to delivering positive business outcomes including enhanced customer and employee satisfaction, a healthy and productive work environment, great product and service quality and enhanced brand loyalty.

Open to all operators and service providers or partnerships between suppliers and a named operator.

Sustainability and especially the subjects of energy usage and net zero are now board level issues. This trend is driven by factors such as concerns about the environmental impact of infrastructure and the growing demand for energy-efficient technologies like traceability, analytics and renewable energy. The judges will be looking for CSP’s own sustainability initiatives and also how they are enabling customers to reduce carbon emissions / get closer to net zero.

Open to all fixed and mobile operators.

This category celebrates the CSP demonstrating greatest positive impact on the market it seeks to address. The judges are looking for organisations that not only offer a product or service that offers positive social benefits but also seek to recognise an organisation that demonstrates how they address social responsibility or narrow the digital divide. This category might be termed telecoms for good.

A recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) article was entitled, "We need smarter cities, not smart cities”, and this is why we have a Smart Places Award.

We aren’t looking for a city turned into a technology project by 5G, big data, driverless vehicles, and AI, but instead are looking for an organisation or place that has most intelligently used technology as a driver of opportunity, prosperity, and progress for the people it touches.

Your smart places can be any town, city, or physical space, in whole or in part where data and intelligent technology is integrated to enhance various aspects of life and work.

The judges will be looking for innovative approaches that will improve quality of life by combining elements including networks, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, virtual and augmented reality and blockchain.

This category is open to satellite operators, teleport operators and other operators and service providers involved in the provision of satellite services. This includes those on the ground and in orbit, as well as partners and solution providers in association with an operator.

The judges are looking for innovation in the satellite ecosystem which may be provision of a specific service, or the way a satellite service integrates into complex networks involving fibre, microwave, wireless and mobile technologies.

Celebrating the operator or operator partnership with the best platform strategy.

The judges are looking for the best platform strategy which brings real innovation, efficiency and provisioning of new products and services, and in particular the emerging so-called superapps demonstrating the confluence of app, platform and ecosystem.

Open to all companies including operators and CSP’s and solution providers.

The judges are looking for the best deployed future technology solution, including but not limited to IoT, AI, metaverse and blockchain, which demonstrates a solution which brings real innovation to its target market.

This category is open to CSP’s and vendors in partnership with a single named CSP.

The judges will be looking for deployed cyber security strategies, either addressing the CSP’s own risks or as an offering for enterprise clients as a Managed Security Services Provider. The winning entry will demonstrate how their offering detects cyber threats to mitigate business impact, and drive efficiency into cybersecurity operations through an innovative approach.

Open to operators, service providers, data centres, internet exchanges, or vendors in partnership with a named operator.

This award continues to look at cloud native deployments, but also recognises the evolution of cloud to the edge. This award will look for entrants delivering agile, automated and scalable solutions and services.

Open to all service providers, MNOs and other operators as well as solution providers in partnership with a named operator.

Connectivity alone continues to decline as a proportion of revenue for most operators businesses, making a move beyond connectivity, in the words of GSMA Intelligence, a commercial imperative. The judges will be looking at how entrants have deployed existing assets in the building of new, non-core businesses, as well as investing in new capabilities and building partnerships to successfully develop new products and services based on leveraging existing assets, building ecosystem business to reinforce the core, or developing marketplace businesses based on partnerships and entirely new ventures.

Open to all operators or vendors in partnership with a named operator.

Broadband connectivity is critical to building the digital economy. This award looks for clever use of technology to assist in the deployment of broadband.

Open to service providers and mobile network operators (MNOs) as well as users and owners of private 5G networks, and vendors in partnership with a named operator or network.

This category is focused on deployed 5G networks and the judges will be looking in particular for evidence of monetisation and innovation, not just the scale of the network.

Open to all service providers / operators / MNOs.

The judges will be looking for organisations who are investing in their people and providing evidence of successfully managing the cultural change impact of digitisation. They will look for organisations who are enhancing employee’s digital skills and undertaking programs to enhance digital literacy, as well other policies to develop company culture. They will also assess how far the organisation has gone to stimulate employee journeys to help create positive customer interactions.

Open to all service providers / MNOs / operators of any size.

This category could easily be called the Most Admired Operator because it is not about size – it is a level playing field for small, medium and large organisations. Judging is independent from the size of the company and the judges will solely focus on the originality and quality of the contribution itself, looking for evidence in their ability to address their market, cultural change and transformation initiatives, as well as diversification of business models and business growth.

This category is open to individuals who have entered the industry in the past five years and are now excelling as potential future stars of the industry.

The candidates can come from any discipline, technically or business focused, but in all cases the judges will be asking themselves whether this person might still be active and successful 25 years from now. It does not matter the type of organisation they work for: CSP/MNO/supplier.

Open to all industry organisations: CSPs / Operators / MNOs as well as vendors, associations and other organisations.

The world is fast approaching a state of perpetual crisis with the telecommunication industry playing a crucial role on a global or local scale, addressing physical, natural or manmade crises. The winning entry will demonstrate how the organisation has responded to either an apparent and/or urgent need, utilising their skills and relationships to deliver a rapid and effective response without focus on commercial success or a long term approach to addressing a persistent state of crisis.

Open to all wholesale operators, including submarine cable operators, operating on a regional or global basis.

This is not about having the most customers, the largest network or highest revenue, it is about being the best! The judges will be looking for the most innovative business models, how you have evolved your business, successful partnering strategies and how new technology deployment has supported a successful wholesale carrier business.

Open to all operators/CSPs/ MNOs addressing one or more emerging markets.

Awarded to the operator that has best adapted to emerging market characteristics and overcome challenges to achieve commercial success and improve the lives of customers.