Nokia and Telefónica: Harnessing the Power of Agentic AI

AI is moving beyond supporting roles in telecommunications to become a central driver of network innovation.

Nokia and Telefónica have launched a joint initiative exploring how agentic AI could accelerate the adoption of network application programming interfaces (APIs), marking a significant step towards AI-driven network monetisation ecosystems.

The collaboration centres on two emerging AI protocols that could reshape how networks expose and deliver capabilities to developers and industry partners. Both companies participate in the GSMA Open Gateway Initiative, which promotes open and interoperable APIs to drive telecommunications innovation.

AI protocols enabling network transformation

At the heart of the project are two advanced AI protocols: Agent-to-Agent Protocol (A2A) and Model Context Protocol (MCP). These technologies represent a new approach to network programmability, allowing AI to orchestrate complex telecommunications workflows autonomously.

A2A enables multiple AI agents to coordinate complex workflows by dynamically discovering, communicating and collaborating with one another. MCP standardises access to external tools and data in a consistent and secure manner. Together, these protocols could simplify how Network APIs are exposed and consumed, potentially making it easier for developers and industry partners to create and deliver services efficiently.

The project seeks to explore how AI can transform networks to enable new monetisation models and pave the way for what both companies describe as a fully-agentic monetisation ecosystem.

Banking fraud prevention demonstrates AI capabilities

The first development tested a bank fraud prevention agent in a lab environment, showcasing how AI could leverage network data to enhance security applications. Telefónica's testbed uses an MCP server provided by Nokia's Network Exposure Platform to expose Network APIs and resources useful for the application, including SIM Swap and Device Swap data.

Nokia's Network as Code platform aggregates these capabilities for simplified access by the bank's application developers in an A2A format. This initial use case demonstrates how AI agents could autonomously access and utilise network intelligence to support real-time decision-making in fraud detection scenarios. Additional use cases are planned for joint testing in the future.

Cayetano Carbajo, Core, Transport and Ecosystem Director of the Chief Technology and Information Office (CTIO) at Telefónica, says: "Telefónica is committed to driving open innovation in network exposure and automation. By working with Nokia to pilot these advanced AI protocols, we are laying the groundwork for faster and more scalable adoption of Network APIs. Being prepared to expose AI agents is key to continuing to monetise our capabilities."

Cayetano explains that their shared goal is to lower the barriers for partners and developers, enabling a new generation of services powered by programmable networks.

Advancing towards agent-driven ecosystems

Shkumbin Hamiti, Head of Network Monetisation Platform at Nokia, explains that the companies are proving agentic AI can "meaningfully accelerate the adoption of network APIs".

He adds: "By combining AI protocols with Nokia's Network Exposure and Network as Code platforms, we enable secure, consistent access to network capabilities and let AI agents coordinate complex workflows, end to end. The result is an actionable, developer‑friendly experience that moves our industry one step closer to an agent‑driven monetisation ecosystem."

Both companies plan to share insights from this collaboration with the wider industry to support standardisation and ecosystem growth. The initiative highlights Telefónica's dedication to responsible innovation and its leadership in practical AI adoption and Network API advancement worldwide.

As AI agents become more sophisticated, their ability to autonomously orchestrate network capabilities could fundamentally change how telecommunications services are developed, delivered and monetised.