The GSMA has confirmed a reshaped 26-member board that will steer the mobile industry through the first 6G standards, satellite regulation and the ITU's next World Radiocommunication Conference in 2027.

Six operators join the board: Axiata Group, Millicom, NTT Docomo, Ooredoo Group, stc and Telstra. Six incumbents leave: Ethio Telecom, KDDI, KT, Telenor, TIM and Veon.

The total headcount stays at 26, but the composition shift signals which operator groups the association wants at the table as it tackles 6G standardisation, spectrum assignment and regulatory frameworks for satellite communications and non-terrestrial networks (NTN).

Who stays, who changes?

Several long-standing board members keep their seats but send different representatives. AT&T, China Telecom, China Unicom, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, e&, Globe Telecom and Telefónica all continue with new faces at the table.

Notably, e& returns under a familiar name: the UAE operator has just reverted to its original Etisalat brand after four years operating as e&.

A second group retains both seats and representatives unchanged:

• América Móvil
• Bharti Airtel
• BT Group
• Liberty Global
• MTN Group
• Orange
• Reliance Jio
• Personal (formerly Telecom Argentina)
• Turkcell
• Verizon
• Vodafone Group

GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath completes the board lineup.

What will the new board actually decide?

The technical agenda is dense. Board members will guide the industry's position on the first 6G standards, which will define the technology generation that follows today's 5G deployments.

Spectrum assignment sits alongside it. The ITU World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), scheduled for October and November 2027, will set the international spectrum framework that operators expect to underpin 6G licensing. The GSMA board's input into regional and global positioning ahead of that conference gives these 26 companies outsized influence over how much mid-band and other spectrum reaches mobile operators rather than rival sectors.

Regulatory frameworks for satellite communications and non-terrestrial networks form a third pillar. Direct-to-device satellite services have moved from trials toward commercial launches, and operators need clear rules on how NTN spectrum, licensing and competition with terrestrial networks will work.

Where does AI fit in?

Artificial intelligence's impact on the mobile sector is the other central item. Outgoing-era chairman Gopal Vittal, who the GSMA previously confirmed in the role until 2026, framed the opportunity in broad terms.

AI and "open digital platforms" offer the chance to "create significant economic and social value", Vittal said, and the organisation intends to capitalise on that potential.

Vittal also set two guardrails for the work ahead. He wants continued attention on "digital security and trust", and he called on the board to address both connectivity gaps and usage gaps — the difference between people who have network coverage and those who actually use mobile internet services.

Those priorities suggest the board will balance headline technology transitions against the industry's persistent adoption problems, where coverage alone has not translated into usage in many emerging markets represented by new members such as Axiata, Millicom and MTN.

Why the new names matter

The entry of NTT Docomo, Telstra, stc and Ooredoo brings operators from Japan, Australia and the Middle East into the decision-making circle, while Millicom and Axiata add Latin American and Southeast Asian weight. The departure of KDDI, KT, Telenor, TIM and Veon removes established voices from Japan, Korea, Scandinavia, Italy and emerging-market Eurasia respectively.

For vendors and policymakers, the practical consequence is a changed set of counterparties when the GSMA coordinates industry positions on 6G requirements and WRC-27 spectrum bids.

The board's term now runs into the period when the first 6G standards take shape and WRC-27 approaches, with the conference set for October–November 2027 as the deadline that will anchor much of its spectrum work.