5G isn’t just a faster mobile network—it’s the digital spine of everything to come. From the evolution of smart cities to the spread of artificial intelligence at the edge, the physical infrastructure supporting this shift is being pushed to adapt. Traditional towercos, once defined by steel and space, now find themselves at the intersection of connectivity, cloud, and computing.

This transformation was the focus of a forward-looking panel at the TowerXchange Meetup MENA, where leaders across the region’s telecoms ecosystem tackled the emerging realities of 5G infrastructure. The conversation moved beyond rollout timelines and into the strategic, technical, and commercial pivots tower companies must make to stay relevant in a rapidly decentralising digital world.

Towercos must go to the edge—and beyond

The move from passive to semi-active infrastructure is no longer theoretical. With network demand surging and latency-sensitive applications on the rise, towercos are being pulled towards the edge—closer to users, data, and devices.

“As a telecom’s operator, we’re already operating at the edge. But the infrastructure must follow,” said Ali Hasmi, General Director at Omantel. “We need towercos to evolve, to stop thinking of themselves as passive landlords and instead become service platforms. Shared radios, edge hosting, CloudRAN—this is where it’s going.”

But evolution isn’t easy in a sector designed for stability. Hasmi warned that regulatory frameworks and business models will need to keep pace. “We’re talking about embedded infrastructure in buildings, antennas in smart lights. In smart cities, we don’t want traditional towers. This shift demands not just new partnerships, but a whole new urban mindset.”

From steel to silicon: unlocking new revenue streams

The promise of 5G lies not just in its speed, but in the verticals, it can unlock—IoT, industrial automation, immersive entertainment, and edge computing, to name a few. But for many towercos, the question remains: how does this translate into revenue?

“5G is no longer a question of if, it’s a live commercial reality,” said Abdulrahman Al Moaiqel, Chief Commercial Officer at Tawal. “Operators are already monetising it, and that creates ripple effects—more densification, more spectrum in the C-band, and more demands on power and space. In-building solutions are taking off, and building owners now expect subsidies. We’re entering a far more complex value chain.”

The shift also requires towercos to think like service providers, not just asset managers. That means aligning with hyperscalers, managing digital layers like power and cooling, and being ready to serve a broader ecosystem than just MNOs.

Densify, decentralise, decarbonise

While densification is a given in the 5G era, powering this network expansion presents real regional challenges—especially in markets where energy infrastructure lags behind demand.

“In Pakistan, we will be rolling out 5G in phases, starting with the cities,” explained Asim Syed, Chief Commercial Officer at Engro Enfrashare. “But our grid isn’t stable enough to support the density required, so we’re using hybrid power systems—solar, batteries, generators. There’s no single solution, but power is becoming a defining constraint.”

Power strategy is no longer just a cost line—it’s a design principle. Densification at scale requires modular, efficient, and increasingly green power solutions, often managed independently from national utilities. And as site counts climb, power becomes both a commercial and operational differentiator.

AI At the edge: the next competitive layer

Beyond hardware, the intelligence of the network is becoming just as important as its physical reach. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and predictive analytics are fast becoming central to site management and performance optimisation.

“The edge is where AI gets interesting,” said Hasmi. “Towercos can host AI applications not just for their own operations—like energy optimisation or predictive maintenance—but also for operators and hyperscalers. That creates entirely new business models.”

But as Kealan Delaney, Chief Executive Officer of Delmec, pointed out during the discussion, these efficiencies are still playing catch-up to demand. “Yes, AI makes the network more efficient—but demand is growing faster than optimisation can keep up. The real challenge is scaling smart, not just fast.”

Beyond 5G: a role in urban transformation

As the region eyes smart city ambitions, towercos are being asked to support more than mobile networks—they’re being asked to support digital societies.

“Operators want to use 5G for industrial applications, for automation, for IoT,” said Thaer Abusneineh, Commercial Director at TASC Towers. “But it’s not just about enabling the tech. It’s about redesigning how infrastructure fits into the urban environment. And for that, we need new types of collaboration—between towercos, governments, utilities, and property developers.”

That sentiment echoed across the panel: the boundaries between telecoms, infrastructure, and urban design are blurring, and towercos must now speak the language of city planners as much as network engineers.

The future belongs to the adaptable

The TowerXchange Meetup MENA panel made one thing clear: 5G is more than a generational leap in network tech—it’s a catalyst reshaping how telecoms infrastructure is built, operated, and monetised. Towercos must expand their ambitions or risk being left behind in a market shifting from coverage to capability.

“The opportunity is huge,” said Al Moaiqel. “But it requires a new way of thinking. You’re not just hosting signals anymore—you’re hosting the future.”