- T-Mobile CTO John Saw says 6G is a chance for wireless operators to make a real impact in physical AI
- Saw sees “kinetic AI” as the next growth opportunity, where connected devices and robots need network-enabled context to make the right decisions
- One example: a humanoid robot cleaning a house needs to know the difference between a dirty napkin and important work notes – and act accordingly
SEATTLE, MOBILE FUTURE FORWARD 2026 — 6G is not just the next “G.” It’s an opportunity for operators to provide the capabilities – things like precise timing and location – that make physical AI live up to its full potential.
That’s according to T-Mobile CTO John Saw, who shared his views during a fireside chat here with Chetan Sharma, president of the consulting firm that hosts this one-day conference.
The industry is lucky enough to face an opportunity supported by the combination wireless, AI and computing. Carriers can harness these three things into new products, services and capabilities that will shape the next decade, he said.
For the operators in the room, he advised them to “roll out 5G Advanced,” which provides the technology they need to deliver on AI. (Easy for him to say; T-Mobile so far is the only U.S. operator that boasts a nationwide 5G Advanced network.)
Nonetheless, he provided words of encouragement to his peers in the mobile ecosystem. As operators, they’re sitting on the assets, distribution and capabilities that hyperscalers don’t have and can’t replicate, he said.
“I think it’s our opportunity to move up the food chain to monetize new capabilities, instead of selling SIM cards and giving away free, expensive foldable smartphones,” Saw said.
It was one of the few references at the show to Apple’s iPhone Duo foldable smartphone that was unveiled yesterday. Most of the content during Thursday’s panels focused on AI, 6G and the Quantumverse – you know, the “simple” stuff.
Back to T-Mobile’s keynote. Saw said the real opportunity for growth in the wireless industry is physical AI. He’s an early proponent of kinetic tokens. They’re more than just information tokens in the sense that they take on some kind of physical action related to the real world. Some examples are drones, robots and autonomous cars that need to act in milliseconds.
Saw isn’t alone here. Mobile Experts estimates a potential market opportunity in the range of $250 billion for telcos – representing a sizable profit for the telecom industry and differentiation over hyperscalers and AI players.
Kinetic tokens and a clean house
Asked to provide examples of kinetic tokens, Saw said when you move the arm of a robot, it needs to know exactly where it is in terms of location and space and it has to be synchronized with the physical world. That’s something that information tokens never have to do.
More specifically about kinetic tokens, he gave the example of a humanoid robot cleaning a house.
When the robot comes across a coffee table, it might sense two different types of paper on the surface. One is a dirty napkin and the other is a pile of work materials. Obviously, it needs to ascertain what’s what.
“It has to do the right thing and throw the napkin away and leave your notes alone,” he said.
Otherwise, if it does the wrong thing, you’re might be telling your boss the equivalent of “the dog ate my homework."
Served up right, “that’s a kinetic token,” he said.
Read more stories about T-Mobile and AI:
Exclusive: T-Mobile’s John Saw explains kinetic tokens and why they matter in 6G
Opinion: Kinetic tokens could be $250B market opp for telcos
T-Mobile’s John Saw on AI, RAN and that big deal with Nvidia