Small Cell Forum crowns 2026 Mobile Network Awards

Small Cell Forum has announced the winners of its 2026 Mobile Network Awards, which cover small cells, private networks, neutral host, Open RAN, emerging technologies and AI-optimised small cells.

The awards recognise work across the wireless connectivity market, with entries judged by analysts and journalists. The programme has run for more than a decade and is open to operators, neutral hosts, private network operators and equipment suppliers.

Druid Software won Excellence in Commercial Deployment by a Service Provider for Ireland's new first responders network. The category focused on live service provider deployments, with public safety central to one of the winning projects.

In private networks, ITRI, Pegatron and NTTE were recognised for mobility-aware QoS assurance in private networks. Their joint entry won Outstanding Software and Services, Products or Technology.

CableFree won the hardware and components category for its integrated smart small cell platform. Radisys took Outstanding Contribution to Open Platforms and Architectures for work described as closing the Open RAN gap from architecture to real-world scale.

ANDREW, an Amphenol company, won two categories. It was recognised in emerging technologies for CleanBeam metaLens and separately in neutral host and multi-operator business models for a distributed antenna system deployment with direct digital connectivity to three RAN vendors in a live stadium.

Jio Platforms received the Judges' Choice Award for its Jio 5G cloud-native, AI-optimized small cell. The judges said the entry stood out beyond a single category.

The judging panel included Caroline Gabriel, Content Director at Small Cell Forum; Simon Saunders, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering; Monica Paolini of Senza Fili; Sue Rudd of BBand Communications; and Keith Dyer of The Mobile Network.

Small cells are drawing growing attention from network operators and suppliers as mobile traffic rises and businesses seek more localised indoor and outdoor coverage. Categories for neutral host, Open RAN and private networks also reflect a market that has broadened beyond traditional public mobile infrastructure.

Public sector and industrial use cases featured strongly among the winners. Ireland's first responders network points to the role of dedicated wireless systems in emergency communications, while the private network award underlines demand for predictable performance as enterprises deploy mobile systems in factories, campuses and other managed sites.

The neutral host category highlighted a business model attracting interest from venue owners and operators seeking shared infrastructure instead of duplicating equipment for each mobile provider. The winning stadium deployment was recognised for linking multiple US operators through direct digital connectivity to three RAN vendors.

Open RAN was another focus of the awards. Radisys was recognised for work aimed at moving open architecture from concept to broader commercial use, a challenge that remains central as operators weigh interoperability, scale and cost.

The emerging technologies category pointed to continued efforts to improve network performance in dense urban areas. ANDREW's CleanBeam metaLens entry focused on beamforming for street-level small cell networks, an area tied to capacity demands in busy public spaces.

In comments released with the awards, the organisers highlighted the balance between technical development and commercial implementation among the winners. That emphasis was also visible in the range of recognised projects, from public safety and enterprise mobility to hardware design and open network architecture.

"This year's winners reflect the breadth and maturity of the small cell and wireless connectivity ecosystem. Across the categories, the awards highlighted strong examples of commercial deployment, technical innovation and new business models that are helping to make advanced connectivity more deployable, flexible and commercially viable," said Dr. Prabhakar Chitrapu, Chair, Small Cell Forum.

Gabriel also pointed to the spread of practical deployments across the market. "The standard of entries was very high, and the winning projects showed clear progress in turning innovation into practical deployment. The judges were particularly encouraged by the range of real-world use cases represented this year, from life-critical public safety networks and enterprise mobility to hardware integration, open small cell networks, precision beamforming and neutral host deployment. Jio Platforms was selected for the Judges' Choice award because its AI-optimised small cell had significance beyond a single category, offering a clear indication of the cloud- and AI-native direction of future networks," she said.