Small Cell Forum (SCF) has announced the winners of the 2026 SCF Mobile Network Awards, recognising outstanding achievement across small cells, private networks, neutral host, Open RAN, emerging technologies and the wider wireless connectivity ecosystem.
The SCF Mobile Network Awards have recognised excellence in the industry for more than a decade and celebrate both technical innovation and commercial success. Entries are independently judged by leading analysts and journalists, with the 2026 winners announced at an awards ceremony during Small Cells World Summit on 2 June.
Dr. Prabhakar Chitrapu, Chair of Small Cell Forum, said:
“This year’s winners reflect the breadth and maturity of the small cell and wireless connectivity ecosystem. Across the categories, the awards highlighted strong examples of commercial deployment, technical innovation and new business models that are helping to make advanced connectivity more deployable, flexible and commercially viable.”
The winners of the 2026 SCF Mobile Network Awards are:
Excellence in commercial deployment by a service provider
Druid Software, for Ireland’s new first responders network
Outstanding software and services, products or technology
ITRI, Pegatron and NTTE, for Mobility-aware QoS assurance in private networks
Outstanding hardware and components, products or technology
CableFree, for CableFree integrated smart small cell platform: the scalable, flexible, and futureproof foundation for next-generation wireless excellence
Outstanding contribution to open platforms and architectures
Radisys, for Closing the Open RAN gap: from architecture to real-world scale
Outstanding contribution to emerging technologies
ANDREW®, an Amphenol company, for ANDREW CleanBeam™ metaLens: precision beamforming for high capacity and street level small cell networks
Outstanding progress in enabling neutral host and multi-operator business models
ANDREW®, an Amphenol company, for World’s first DAS deployment with 100% direct digital connectivity to three leading RAN vendors, connecting all US operators in a live stadium
Judges’ Choice Award
Jio Platforms, for Jio 5G cloud-native small cell, AI-optimized. Selected by the judges for its significance beyond a single awards category and as an indication of the cloud- and AI-native direction of future networks.
Caroline Gabriel, industry analyst, SCF Content Director and awards judge, added:
“The standard of entries was very high, and the winning projects showed clear progress in turning innovation into practical deployment. The judges were particularly encouraged by the range of real-world use cases represented this year, from life-critical public safety networks and enterprise mobility to hardware integration, open small cell networks, precision beamforming and neutral host deployment. Jio Platforms was selected for the Judges’ Choice award because its AI-optimised small cell had significance beyond a single category, offering a clear indication of the cloud- and AI-native direction of future networks.”
The awards were judged by an independent panel comprising Caroline Gabriel, industry analyst and SCF Content Director; Simon Saunders, industry expert and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering; Monica Paolini, Founder and Analyst, Senza Fili; Sue Rudd, Analyst and Director, BBand Communications; and Keith Dyer, Editor and Founder, The Mobile Network.
Open to the whole industry, the SCF Mobile Network Awards attract entries from mobile network operators, neutral hosts, private network operators, software, hardware and chipset vendors. The awards are designed to recognise projects, products and technologies that demonstrate meaningful progress for the small cell and wireless connectivity industries. For more information about SCF and its work, visit www.smallcellforum.org.