With over 15 years of industry experience, Esfandiari is leading Oracle’s efforts in developing cutting-edge solutions for 5G, IoT, and cloud-based networks.
Oracle’s mission: Real-time communications for critical industries
At the core of Oracle Communications’ strategy lies a commitment to empowering mission-critical industries through real-time communications.
Esfandiari explains: “Our North Star is to enable real-time communications for mission-critical industries. On the network side, we have solutions that are at the core of the 5G network, including policies, signalling, analytics, and automation.”
Oracle’s customer base primarily consists of telecommunications service providers as well as medium to large enterprises seeking to transition their voice networks to the cloud.
The company’s solutions span 5G core networks, real-time video and voice communications, and business support systems (BSS) that help service providers run and monetise their networks effectively.
The importance of real-time connectivity extends across various industries. “Each of these industries—healthcare, public safety, hospitality—is undergoing radical transformation and has a huge reliance on real-time access,” Esfandiari notes.
“Whether it’s cellular, satellite, or Wifi connectivity, businesses need seamless, secure, and reliable communication.”
AI and 5G: The next frontier
As the industry discusses the evolution from 5G to 5.5G, Esfandiari sees AI playing a pivotal role in maximising the potential of next-generation networks.
“5G by itself is just another technology,” she states. “What it enables, however, is automation and AI-driven capabilities that enterprise applications need.”
AI is deeply integrated into Oracle’s communications technology stack, from network automation to voice and video AI capabilities.
“We’re bringing AI capabilities into real-time communication, whether it’s Vision AI analysing emergency response feeds or AI-enhanced automation in network operations,” she explains.
“For AI to truly drive automation, you need a cloud-native infrastructure underneath—and that’s where 5G comes in.”
Esfandiari also highlights the critical role of AI in data analytics. “Service providers sit on a goldmine of data, whether it’s customer data or network operations data,” she says. “The key challenge is how to unlock and leverage that data to enable autonomous networks and AI-driven decision-making.”
The challenges of AI and 5G adoption
Despite the promise of AI-driven 5G networks, Esfandiari identifies three major challenges that service providers face in implementation:
Cultural shift: “Operators need to embrace a DevOps and CI/CD mindset to transition to zero-touch, autonomous networks. This requires a fundamental shift in operational culture.”
Data strategy: “Having the right data framework is essential. Service providers need to partner with organisations that can help them unlock and utilise their network data effectively.”
Technology transformation: “While operators are adept at evaluating new technologies, the transition to AI-driven networks requires a holistic approach that integrates automation across the stack.”
Monetising 5G: The role of enterprise applications
One of the key discussions at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 was 5G monetisation, a topic Esfandiari is deeply engaged in.
“We believe that 5G monetisation will largely come from enterprise applications rather than consumer-driven use cases,” she asserts. “The investments made in 5G core networks are what will truly drive revenue generation.”
Oracle’s approach to 5G monetisation focuses on enabling enterprise applications through its Enterprise Communications Platform (ECP).
“We work with major service providers such as AT&T and Vodafone to integrate 5G connectivity into industries like public safety and retail,” Esfandiari explains.
“At the end of the day, enterprises don’t want to deal with network complexity—they just want their applications to work seamlessly.”
For service providers, Oracle’s role is to bridge the gap between IT and telecommunications. “We sit at the intersection of these two worlds,” Esfandiari says.
“We bring deep knowledge of automation, APIs, and AI-driven insights to help operators unlock new revenue streams.”
Looking ahead, Esfandiari believes the evolution of 5G will continue to be driven by enterprise applications and AI capabilities.
“We’ve seen the emergence of AI-driven autonomous networks at MWC, and this is just the beginning,” she notes.
“Operators who invest in 5G core infrastructure and AI-driven automation will be the ones who truly capitalise on the technology’s potential.”
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