Mauritius Telecom and TM Forum pioneer trusted Model-as-a-Service for the AI-native telco

Mauritius Telecom joins TM Forum as a founding contributor and co-chair, helping shape the first MODaaS certification for trusted AI operations

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, July 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- TM Forum today announced a new global collaboration with Mauritius Telecom to advance trusted Model-as-a-Service (MODaaS), with Mauritius Telecom taking a pioneering role in helping shape how AI models are operated, governed and monetised across the telecom industry.

As founding contributor and co-chair of the MODaaS collaboration, Mauritius Telecom will work with TM Forum and its industry Members to define the controls and conformance criteria for MODaaS, covering model lifecycle management, observability, security, trust, cost visibility and token-based monetisation.

An industry trust gap

The collaboration responds to a growing industry trust gap. As communications service providers (CSPs) move from AI experimentation to production, they must be able to demonstrate that AI models are governed, observable, secure, measurable and commercially accountable. TM Forum research shows that while 72% of CSP leaders say they are confident in the trustworthiness of AI they are putting into production, only 14% can produce evidence to prove it [1].
From blueprint to certification

MODaaS is designed to provide a common operating model for sourcing, governing, consuming and measuring AI models as trusted enterprise services. The collaboration, the second round of TM Forum’s MODaaS industry initiative (GB1087), will define the common controls, conformance criteria and trust mechanisms needed to turn TM Forum’s MODaaS blueprint into a practical certification pathway, supporting usage transparency, performance assurance, policy control, cost visibility and trusted token-based business models.

Once complete, the framework is expected to become the world’s first standards-based certification framework for trusted AI model operations and monetisation in telecom.

“Trust can no longer be claimed. It must be demonstrated,” said Guy Lupo, EVP, Trustworthy AI and Data Mission at TM Forum. “As CSPs move AI models and agents into production, the industry needs common mechanisms to prove that models are governed, observable, secure and commercially accountable. Mauritius Telecom is playing a pioneering role in this work, helping TM Forum and its Members turn MODaaS into a certification pathway that can give CSPs the confidence to scale AI model operations and unlock new value through token monetisation.”

“The next phase of AI in telecom will not only be about using models. It will be about operating, governing and monetising models in ways that customers, partners and regulators can trust,” said Veemal Gungadin, CEO of Mauritius Telecom. “Mauritius Telecom is proud to work with TM Forum as founding contributor and co-chair of this MODaaS collaboration. Our ambition is to help shape a practical certification framework for the wider industry, while showing how a sovereign AI platform can support trusted model discovery, transparent usage, performance assurance and token-based business models.”

A transferable industry model, built on sovereign AI foundations

Mauritius Telecom’s role as founding contributor and co-chair reflects its ambition to help shape a transferable industry model for trusted AI infrastructure. Building on its sovereign AI programme, the Mauritius AI Registry, and its involvement in TM Forum Catalyst projects, Mauritius Telecom is working to show how a national operator can help define global approaches to AI model discovery, governance, consumption and monetisation. The Mauritius AI Registry provides a trusted discovery layer for sovereign AI resources, including models, agents and skills.

An open invitation to the industry

The announcement formally opens the collaboration to the wider industry, with CSPs, technology partners, hyperscalers, vendors and ecosystem players invited to help shape the certification framework.


About TM Forum

TM Forum is an alliance of over 800 organizations spanning the global connectivity ecosystem, including the world’s top ten Communication Service Providers (CSPs), top three hyperscalers and Network Equipment Providers (NEPs), vendors, consultancies and system integrators, large and small. We provide a place for our Members to collaborate, innovate, and deliver lasting change. Together, we are building a sustainable future for the industry in connectivity and beyond. To find out more, visit: www.tmforum.org

About Mauritius Telecom

Mauritius Telecom is the leading telecommunications and digital services provider of the Republic of Mauritius, connecting homes, businesses and institutions through its fixed, mobile and fibre networks, TV and ICT services. The company is investing in the infrastructure of Mauritius’ digital future, including subsea cables, data centres, cloud, sovereign AI compute and the Mauritius AI Registry (airegistry.mu), and is building an AI ecosystem that supports developers, enterprises and public institutions across Mauritius and the wider region. For more information, visit: www.telecom.mu

Media contacts:
TM Forum: newsroom@tmforum.org
Mauritius Telecom: Kevin Narainen, Corporate Communications, kevin.narrainen@telecom.mu
[1] Read the full report: https://inform.tmforum.org/features-and-opinion/why-trust-and-assurance-are-key-to-ai-success

Katy Branson
TM Forum
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