ABU DHABI, 25th June, 2026 (WAM) — Khalifa University of Science and Technology today announced that TelecomGPT-R1, an artificial intelligence model developed by the University’s Digital Future Institute for the telecommunications sector, has ranked first on the GSM Association (GSMA) Open Telco Leaderboard, outperforming all other models evaluated, including leading closed-source systems developed by major global technology companies.
The achievement marks a significant milestone for UAE-developed artificial intelligence in telecommunications and positions Khalifa University among a select group of organizations developing advanced AI systems for the sector. The result especially highlights the University’s growing role in research supporting next-generation communications technologies, including 6G, at a time when telecommunications networks are increasingly relying on AI to automate operations and improve performance. TelecomGPT-R1 went live on 22 June and is currently being showcased at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2026.
TelecomGPT-R1 achieved an average score of 89.6% across the GSMA Open Telco Leaderboard, the highest score recorded among all models tested, whether open-source or proprietary, general-purpose or telecom-specific. Operated by the GSMA which represents nearly all network operators worldwide, the benchmark is widely regarded as one of the telecommunications industry’s leading measures of how effectively AI systems perform real-world telecom tasks.
Professor Ebrahim Al Hajri, President of Khalifa University, said: “TelecomGPT-R1 exemplifies how Khalifa University transforms advanced research into innovations that address national priorities and shape the technologies of the future. Through pioneering work in artificial intelligence and next-generation communications such as 6G, the University is not only advancing scientific discovery but contributing to the UAE’s long-term competitiveness and knowledge-based economy.
“Achievements such as this are a key measure of a university’s research excellence, global impact, and relevance to industry and society. They are also among the factors that drive international recognition, as reflected in Khalifa University’s rise of 30 places in the QS World University Rankings 2027 to 147th globally, becoming the first university in the UAE to enter the world’s top 150.”
Louis Powell, Director of AI Technologies, GSMA said: “Building models designed for the telecoms that are accurate, efficient and trusted is a key step to scaling AI across the industry. I congratulate the Khalifa University team, on their impressive results on the GSMA Open Telco Leaderboards.”
Unlike general-purpose AI systems adapted for telecom use, TelecomGPT-R1 was built from the ground up for the telecommunications industry, combining technical language understanding, network reasoning, and operational knowledge in a single system. The model is designed to support tasks such as network troubleshooting, fault analysis, and configuration assistance, capabilities that will become increasingly important as telecom networks continue to automate and integrate AI-driven operations.
It is also an open model, meaning telecom operators, vendors, and researchers can inspect, test, and adapt it for their own systems.
Professor Merouane Debbah, Senior Director, Digital Future Institute, Khalifa University, said: “TelecomGPT-R1 shows that open telecom AI can lead, not only participate. Ranking first on the GSMA Open Telco Leaderboard is an important milestone for Khalifa University and DFI, and it reflects our commitment to building transparent, and industry-relevant AI systems for the future of telecommunications. This achievement shows that the future of telecom AI does not have to be locked behind closed systems. With TelecomGPT-R1, we are showing that open, specialized, and standards-grounded models can deliver frontier-level performance, while remaining transparent, adaptable, and deployable for the telecom ecosystem.”
TelecomGPT-R1 builds on a broader research program at Khalifa University and the Digital Future Institute focused on AI for next-generation networks, spanning telecom language models, radio frequency foundation models, and AI systems built for technical standards reasoning. The program has already produced a strong research pipeline spanning telecom language models, RF foundation models, network world models, and AI systems for standards-grounded reasoning.
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