Mavenir Taps Nokia CTO Jitin Bhandari to Lead AI and NeoCloud Expansion
Event summary
- Mavenir appoints Jitin Bhandari as EVP of NeoCloud Platform and Forward Deployment Engineering, effective August 10, 2026.
- Bhandari joins from Nokia, where he served as CTO for Cloud and Network Services.
- He will lead Mavenir’s expansion into the NeoCloud market and build a Forward Deployment Engineering practice.
- Mavenir is extending its AI platform to NeoCloud providers, adding to its existing customer base of mobile network operators and hyperscalers.
The big picture
Mavenir’s appointment of Jitin Bhandari underscores its strategic pivot toward AI-driven, cloud-native solutions for both traditional telecom providers and emerging NeoCloud players. The move comes as the industry accelerates its shift from proprietary systems to software-defined architectures, with AI becoming a critical differentiator in network automation and service assurance.
What we're watching
- Market Expansion
- How Mavenir will balance its existing customer base with the new NeoCloud market opportunity.
- AI Integration
- The pace at which Mavenir can operationalize AI across IT, BSS/OSS, and Network Planning for customers.
- Execution Risk
- Whether Bhandari can successfully build and scale the Forward Deployment Engineering practice.
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