Khalifa University of Science and Technology has announced the launch of "TelecomGPT-R1", the latest artificial intelligence model developed by the university's Institute of Future Digital to serve the telecommunications sector.
The model, launched on 22 June, topped the Open Telco Leaderboard issued by the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association), the sector's foremost benchmark for evaluating the performance of AI models in real-world telecommunications tasks.
The model was showcased at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2026, where it outperformed all other models assessed, including the most prominent closed-source systems developed by the world's leading technology companies.
TelecomGPT-R1 achieved a performance score of 89.6% on the leaderboard, the highest among all models tested, whether open or closed-source, general-purpose or telecoms-specific.
Professor Ibrahim Al Hajri, President of Khalifa University, said: "TelecomGPT-R1 exemplifies what Khalifa University strives to achieve by linking advanced scientific research to the future needs of vital sectors. Achievements such as this not only contribute to the development of next-generation technologies such as 6G, but also reinforce the university's role in knowledge production, innovation, and building national capabilities in areas of strategic priority for the United Arab Emirates."
He added: "This achievement comes at a time when Khalifa University has attained its highest-ever ranking in the QS World University Rankings 2027, advancing 30 places to 147th globally — a testament to the strength of its research ecosystem, the breadth of its scientific impact, and its active partnerships with the industrial sector."
For his part, Louis Boull, Director of AI Technologies at the GSMA, said that developing telecoms-specific models characterised by accuracy, efficiency, and reliability is an essential step towards expanding the application of artificial intelligence in the sector, and extended his congratulations to Khalifa University on the achievement.