Nokia and Telefónica: Harnessing the Power of Agentic AI

2026-02-20 · Source: AI Magazine · Field: Technology & Digital — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Software Development & Engineering, Emerging Technologies & Innovation · Depth: Intermediate, quick

Summary

Nokia and Telefónica are jointly testing advanced AI agent protocols to accelerate the adoption of network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), aiming to simplify and transform programmable networks for monetisation. This initiative, part of the GSMA Open Gateway, focuses on two key protocols: Agent-to-Agent Protocol (A2A) and Model Context Protocol (MCP). A2A facilitates coordination among multiple AI agents for complex workflows, while MCP standardises secure access to external tools and data. The first use case involved a bank fraud prevention agent, demonstrating how AI agents could autonomously access network intelligence like SIM Swap and Device Swap data via Nokia's Network Exposure Platform and Network as Code platform to enhance real-time security applications. This collaboration seeks to lower barriers for developers and partners, fostering a fully agentic monetisation ecosystem.

Key takeaway

For CTOs and VPs of Engineering exploring network monetisation, this collaboration highlights a path to significantly accelerate network API adoption. Your teams should investigate integrating A2A and MCP protocols to enable AI agents to autonomously orchestrate network capabilities, potentially simplifying service development and unlocking new revenue streams. Consider piloting AI-driven fraud prevention or similar security applications to validate the approach.

Key insights

Agentic AI protocols can accelerate network API adoption and enable new monetisation models in telecommunications.

Principles

• AI agents can autonomously orchestrate network capabilities.
• Standardised protocols simplify network API exposure and consumption.

Method

Utilize Agent-to-Agent Protocol (A2A) for AI agent coordination and Model Context Protocol (MCP) for standardized, secure access to network APIs and data.

In practice

• Implement AI agents for real-time fraud detection.
• Expose network data (e.g., SIM Swap) via MCP servers.

Topics

• Agentic AI
• Network APIs
• A2A Protocol
• MCP Protocol
• Telecommunications Networks

Best for: CTO, VP of Engineering/Data, Director of AI/ML, AI Engineer, AI Product Manager, Software Engineer

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by AI Magazine.