GSMA Foundry, the innovation arm of the global mobile industry organization, has announced a strategic collaboration with Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa University of Science and Technology to develop a new, advanced version of TelecomGPT. The partnership, revealed on the opening day of MWC Doha, aims to create a powerful large language model (LLM), specialised AI data assets, and robust benchmarking frameworks specifically for the mobile sector.
Addressing a Critical Industry Gap
The collaboration addresses significant performance gaps identified in general-purpose AI models. According to GSMA’s Open-Telco LLM Benchmarks, even the most advanced general models struggle with telecom-specific challenges, including the precise interpretation of industry standards, complex network troubleshooting, and processing highly technical telecommunications knowledge. TelecomGPT is being engineered to overcome these limitations.
Open Assets for the Telecom Community
As an early deliverable of the partnership, the first phase will see Khalifa University’s 6G Research Centre release several open telco assets. This includes an advanced LLM with a chat interface, hosted on LightOn, and an Open Telco Knowledge Graph focused on 3GPP documentation. These tools will provide wider access to specialised AI for telecom and related industry audiences, fostering broader innovation.
Building on Groundbreaking Research
This new initiative builds upon groundbreaking work by Khalifa University’s 6G Research Centre, which developed the first version of TelecomGPT in mid-2024 with Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute. Trained on specialised telecom datasets, that initial model demonstrated superior performance over general models like GPT-4 and Llama-3 in key telecom benchmarks, establishing foundational evaluation frameworks for the sector.
Fostering a Collaborative AI Ecosystem
The GSMA Open-Telco LLM Benchmarks initiative, launched at MWC Barcelona, has evolved into a collaborative platform for leading mobile network operators to experiment with and validate telecom-specific LLMs. To further spur development, GSMA Foundry is also supporting an AI Telco Troubleshooting Challenge, calling on operators, AI researchers, and startups to submit advanced LLMs capable of performing root cause analysis on network faults.
Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer at GSMA, noted the collaboration will deliver AI capabilities specifically designed for telecommunications, addressing critical areas such as managing network faults and supporting operational decision-making for AI-driven network operations.
About Khalifa University
Khalifa University of Science and Technology is an internationally-ranked research university based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It focuses on advancing learning through teaching and research and on discovering and applying knowledge. The university’s 6G Research Centre is at the forefront of developing next-generation telecommunications technologies and AI solutions.
About GSMA Foundry
GSMA Foundry is the innovation arm of the GSMA, the global organization unifying the mobile ecosystem. It serves as a cross-industry platform for collaboration, bringing together mobile operators, technology providers, and industry players to develop and scale future technologies that create a positive impact on individuals, industries, and society.
Source: middleeastainews.com
