Vendors to Watch 2026 spotlights the technology providers expected to drive some of the most exciting advancements in the telecom sector over the next year. These companies are building solutions that align with the industry’s emerging priorities, from next-generation AI and automation to advanced 5G deployments, cloud-native platforms, cybersecurity, network assurance, IoT, digital identity, data...

This year, the most cutting-edge networking startups have their sights set on AI networking, NaaS, private 5G connectivity and multi-cloud networking.

TMC Announces Recipients of the 2025 Cloud Computing Excellence Awards The Cloud Computing Excellence Awards recognize the companies, platforms, and solutions that have demonstrated outstanding innovation and measurable success in the delivery of cloud-based technology. Winners were selected based on verified customer deployments and real-world case studies that showcased exceptional performance, scalability, efficiency, and business...

GPT‑5 pushes enterprises to upgrade and secure networks. OpenAI’s GPT‑5 is already changing how enterprises work. More than 600,000 companies are now paying business users of ChatGPT Enterprise, and over 92% of Fortune 500 firms use OpenAI products or APIs, at least in some capacity. A new generation of AI tools is moving rapidly into production, powering...

To realize AI’s full potential, enterprises must modernize their network infrastructure to be cloud-first, elastic, and high-performance.

Artificial intelligence is transforming how AI-driven network operations are managed, monitored, and optimized. Telecommunications providers and enterprise IT teams alike are using AI-driven technologies to reduce downtime, improve network performance, and deliver more resilient services.

Alkira has launched its Model Context Protocol (MCP) server to deliver AI integration to customers. It also announced Alkira NIA (Network Infrastructure Assistant). This is an AI co-pilot that enables conversational AI to be used for network management and operations. It allows customers to take advantage of Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini to improve network...

Model context protocol server aims to streamline network operations Alkira has released a model context protocol (MCP) server as part of its Network Infrastructure-as-a-Service (NaaS) platform. The Alkira MCP Server is integrated into the vendor’s Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) through secure API and authentication controls, alongside Alkira NIA (Network Infrastructure Assistant), an AI copilot that...

Alkira pioneers AI-integrated Network as a Service (NaaS) for the agentic AI era, introducing the MCP server for seamless AI agent interactions and the NIA co-pilot for intelligent network management. These innovations streamline multi-cloud operations, enhance resilience, and support autonomous AI workloads. Alkira’s leadership drives enterprise adoption and future-proof networking.

Newly launched MCP server provides structured, high-level access and orchestration capabilities, while Alkira’s NIA copilot guides network administrators through configuration and troubleshooting. Network-as-a-service (NaaS) startup Alkira has spent the past year building momentum in the enterprise networking market, growing revenue approximately 60% and landing its largest customer to date, a Fortune 10 company. That growth...

Atif Khan is a renowned routing expert with extensive experience bringing ground-breaking networking solutions to market and architecting the world’s largest and most sophisticated global networks. As CTO and co-founder, Atif is responsible for Alkira’s technology vision and overall engineering and product development. Prior to Alkira, Atif was a VP Technology and Solutions, and a founding member at...

The new channel head for EMEA and APAC tells CRN what partner profile he is on the lookout for. Alkira has added a new face to its channel team with Bruce Hockin joining as channel director, international (EMEA & APAC). Hockin is responsible for leading the channel globally (apart from the Americas) and will be...