Mplify Names 2026 NaaS Excellence Awards Finalists, Spotlighting AI-Ready Infrastructure Push
Event summary
- Mplify Alliance announced finalists for its 2026 NaaS Excellence Awards, with winners to be revealed at the Member Summit – Americas in Boston on September 23, 2026.
- Finalists include 30 organizations and individuals recognized for innovation in automated, interoperable, and AI-ready digital infrastructure.
- Awards will be presented in categories including Industry Executive of the Year, Michael Howard Industry Impact, and the Nan Chen Vanguard Award.
- Finalists were selected by a panel of senior analysts from 13 research firms, including IDC, Frost & Sullivan, and Omdia.
The big picture
The 2026 NaaS Excellence Awards finalists highlight the industry's shift toward AI-ready digital infrastructure, where AI both operates and consumes programmable networks. This convergence is critical as service delivery increasingly spans organizational boundaries, making interoperability, reach, and trust essential for scaling NaaS. The awards reflect a broader trend of industry collaboration to standardize operational models and APIs, enabling a more automated and interconnected global ecosystem.
What we're watching
- Ecosystem Integration
- How the convergence of AI for NaaS and NaaS for AI will shape the next phase of digital infrastructure automation.
- Interoperability Standards
- The pace at which standards-based automation and multi-party service coordination will drive NaaS adoption.
- Market Consolidation
- Whether the growing list of finalists signals a fragmented market or the emergence of dominant players in the NaaS space.
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