At MWC, many mobile network operators talked up their usage of AI to improve network quality, better serve their customers and gain market share from competitors.
Still, Europe's telco bosses say they could be accelerating their digital transformation journeys if they were allowed to combine with other large multinational players.
"There's this real focus now around European competitiveness," Luke Kehoe, industry analyst for Europe at network intelligence firm Ookla, told CNBC on the sidelines of MWC last week. "There's a goal to mobilize policy to improve telecoms networks."