World Communication Awards 2024 Celebrating Innovation & Excellence in Global Telecoms
10 December 2024 | 18:30 - 23:00 GMT | The Marriott, Grosvenor Square, London


Startup of the Year Award extended entry deadline: 9th August 2024


The main category deadline has now passed. However, the Startup of the Year Award is still open for entries and is FREE to enter for qualifying organisations.

How to Enter:

To enter the Startup of the Year Award, select the category at the top of the list below, expand the category, click ENTER NOW. You will need to register on the platform before you can complete your entry. Please complete all questions when registering.

Note: you will receive an email with a validation code which must be added to complete the registration process. Please check your junk folder. 

If you do not want to complete your entry in one sitting you can part complete your entry and come back to it later. Your information is automatically saved. Simply login again using the YOUR ACCOUNT tab in the menu to complete your entry.

To submit your entry, agree to the terms and conditions then click the CONTINUE button at the bottom of the page. If you forget your password please use the reset password link on the login page.

Who can Enter:

This category is open to all startup businesses offering services for the telecom industry or who rely on the telecom network to enable their product / service. Business areas can include (but are not limited to): AI, IoT, Cybersecurity, Cloud and Data Storage and Management, Customer Experience, GIS and Mapping, 5G, Access Solutions as well as areas like mobility and energy solutions, gaming and entertainment.

This category is open to;

  • Startup organisations founded in the last 5 years (founded no earlier than 1 January 2019)
  • Startups that are generating no more than $5M in annual revenue
  • Startups that have raised limited investment (no more than Series A funding)


Please note that the “CEO of the Year” award is not open to nominations and will be selected by the WCA judges, however you can still make suggestions for the judges to review here. The deadline to submit a CEO is also 9th August 2024.


The winners of all of the categories will be announced at the WCA gala dinner in London on 10th December 2024.


CATEGORIES 2024 

This category is open to all startup businesses offering services for the telecom industry or who rely on the telecom network to enable their product / service. Business areas can include (but are not limited to): AI, IoT, Cybersecurity, Cloud and Data Storage and Management, Customer Experience, GIS and Mapping, 5G, Access Solutions as well as areas like mobility and energy solutions, gaming and entertainment.

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This category is open to all companies in the sector and is looking specifically for the best use of Generative AI to enhance a process within a telecom network for a CSP / operator or for an enterprise customer.

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

This category focuses on both CSP’s internal transformation or digital transformation they are enabling for their customers. It focuses on the transformation of business and organisational activities, processes, culture and competencies through a mix of digital technologies.

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

The network is essential to any positive business outcomes, and in this category we are looking for ‘infrastructure first’ initiatives that address legacy environments to deliver agile networks suitable for supporting all business and customer objectives.

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Open to all operators / CSPs / MNOs addressing one or more emerging markets that could be described as emerging or developing, characterised by high rates of economic growth and increasing demand for connectivity and the services it can enable.

This award goes to the operator that has best addressed the customer needs of their market and overcome market specific challenges to achieve commercial success.

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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.


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Open to all CSP’s and other organisations involved in the provision of connectivity services to communities, including but not limited to municipalities and residential developments.

This category is looking for initiatives from organisations connecting less than 500,000 customers that have taken an innovative approach to connect or enhance connectivity to a community in terms of technology, business model or outcome achieved.


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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.

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Open to communication service providers (CSP) / operators and vendors and other partners with a named operator. Looking for CSP/operator selling directly or indirectly to enterprises.

Recognising the most compelling service offered in the B2B sphere by a CSP/operator selling directly or indirectly to enterprise users, such as private wireless networks, managed networks, value added services and on-demand connectivity.

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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.

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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.

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

This award looks for clever use of technology to assist amongst others in the deployment of broadband.

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

The judges are looking for the business that has developed a product or service that moves beyond the traditional connectivity-based offerings, into new business areas or new market segments.

The judges will be looking at how entrants have deployed existing assets in the building of new, non-core businesses. They will also be viewing how entrants invested in new capabilities and building partnerships to successfully develop new products and services based on leveraging existing assets, building an ecosystem business to reinforce the core, or developing marketplace businesses based on partnerships and entirely new ventures.

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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.

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This category is open to operators, vendors, systems integrators and other cyber security ecosystem players.

This category looks for strategies to enhance cyber security in the telecom sector and its customers, through better use of cyber threat intelligence and technologies. 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 its offering detects cyber threats to mitigate business impact, and drive efficiency into cybersecurity operations through an innovative approach.

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Open to all companies including operators and CSP’s as well as ICT companies and solution providers in the telco ecosystem.

This category looks for any new technology or new application of an existing technology, including but not limited to, machine learning, blockchain, metaverse, IoT, robotics, AI, etc, which has been deployed to enable a new product or service offering or revolutionises how an existing service is offered.

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Open to operators or any ecosystem company delivering an outstanding platform strategy for the telecom sector.

This award looks at the successful orchestration of service offerings from a diverse supplier base to successfully offer new service bundles.

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Open to all organisations involved in the provision of non-terrestrial networks, including LEO, MEO and GEO satellite operators as well as spaceports, ground stations and the ecosystem of companies supporting their provision.

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.

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Open to all fixed and mobile operators.

Effectively this is a ‘Telecoms4Good’ award, recognising the organisation that can demonstrate how they take an innovative approach to addressing social responsibility or narrowing the digital divide. The judges are looking for the most innovative approaches. Not just organisations that offer a product or service that offers positive social benefits but also recognising the most creative ways to address social responsibility or narrow the digital divide.

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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.

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Open to all providers of IT and telecoms services.

This category has its foundations in outstanding customer experience, but we are seeking a holistic approach to CX as a guiding principle, supported by employee, partner and/or user experience to deliver positive business outcomes including customer satisfaction, cultural and transformative change, innovation, great product/service quality and enhanced brand loyalty.

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

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This award is determined exclusively by the judges of the World Communication Awards who will nominate the candidates and collectively agree on the winner. This award will be determined exclusively by the judges of the World Communication Awards. Nominations have been put forward by both WCA judges and the industry. The judges will collectively agree on the winner, and will seek a widely admired CEO from the industry who has stood out within the telecom industry for individual achievement and leadership contribution, regardless of the type of organisation they work for: CSP/MNO/supplier.

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