- Oracle is repositioning communications as a core pillar of AI infrastructure alongside energy and construction
- AI-driven data integration across networks, customer systems and back-office platforms is becoming critical
- Gigawatt-scale data centers are forcing new demands on networks, utilities and billing systems
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2026, BARCELONA — As AI investment accelerates globally, Oracle is reframing the role of communications networks as foundational infrastructure rather than a standalone industry vertical.
At Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Andrew De La Torre, group VP of technology at Oracle Communications, said Oracle has recently expanded the scope of its communications business into a broader “infrastructure industries” portfolio that also includes construction and engineering solutions, as well as utilities.
“If you sit back and think about what is transformative in the world today — AI — the whole journey starts with the proliferation of gigawatt data centers,” De La Torre said. “To make those work, you need to build them, power them and connect them.”
That shift reflects Oracle’s view that communications networks are deeply intertwined with the physical infrastructure required to support AI at scale.
“Our job is really now to show how communications is part of the fabric of how transformation is happening on the planet,” De La Torre said.
AI puts new pressure on networks and data visibility
While Oracle continues to invest in core 5G, billing and operational systems, De La Torre said AI is fundamentally changing how customers expect to use those platforms.
“AI changes everything,” he said. “The machine never stops — business as usual has to proceed — but now it’s all about how do I infuse AI in and around those entities to transform the way our customers can leverage those platforms and the data they generate.”
One of the communications industry’s biggest advantages, he argued, is its unmatched visibility into global data flows.
“Every single megabyte of data on the planet runs through a comms network,” De La Torre said. “If you’re a comms provider, you see everything that’s going everywhere.”
That visibility creates an opportunity for AI-driven insights, but only if operators can overcome longstanding data fragmentation challenges.
Breaking down data silos to unlock AI value
De La Torre said the real power of AI emerges when operators can combine network data with customer and back-office information to create a holistic view of the business.
“The real power comes when you can say, let me get a 360-degree view of my entire business,” he said. “Bring my network insights together with my customer front-office information and my back-office financial data.”
Achieving that, however, is difficult due to inconsistent data models and quality issues. “The answers AI gives you are only as good as the data you give in,” De La Torre said, pointing to the need for data cleansing, unified ontologies and governance.
Oracle’s approach centers on AI-infused data platforms that aggregate, normalize and prepare data across domains before applying AI agents. “Bring it all to one place, cleanse it there and build your AI on top of that,” he said.
Gigawatt data centers create new demands for operators
The rise of massive AI data centers is also forcing communications providers and utilities to rethink scalability, pricing and agility.
“A gigawatt data center consumes the same power as hundreds of thousands of consumers,” De La Torre said. “Its consumption profile is completely different. You need new products, new pricing models and new ways to manage it.”
He added that traditional planning cycles — often measured in years — are incompatible with AI-driven growth. “You can’t be in a place where the first 18 months of a project is deploying your applications,” De La Torre said. “You need to sign the contract and have SaaS available days later.”
An inflection point for communications
Despite recent skepticism around 5G monetization, De La Torre believes the communications industry is approaching a long-awaited inflection point.
“I truly believe the investment communications providers have made over the last three decades is finally going to be clear why that needed to be done,” he said
Read all of our coverage from Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona here.