Nokia Global Network Traffic Report forecasts AI will drive nearly half of global traffic in 2035
Globe Newswire•04/11/2026•03:00 ET
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Key Highlights
- ➤2035 network traffic nearly 3,789 EB monthly, nearly quadrupling from 2026 levels
- ➤AI projected to drive 44% of global network traffic by 2035
- ➤Physical AI projected to generate more than 90% of traffic via uplink
- ➤Agentic AI traffic projected to reach 160 times 2026 levels by 2035
- ➤Edge and metro infrastructure projected to serve 36% of AI-native traffic
Expert Statements
Pallavi Mahajan, Chief Technology and AI Officer at Nokia
“AI is changing what we need from networks, not just how much traffic they carry. Networks built for traditional internet applications will increasingly have to support machines that place new demands on the uplink and require real-time responses. The next phase of AI will depend as much on the network as on compute. Network readiness must therefore be a central part of AI planning, not an afterthought. At Nokia, we’re building the distributed, AI-ready networks that make this next phase possible.”
Nokia Global Network Traffic Report forecasts AI will drive nearly half of global traffic in 2035 * AI traffic behaves differently than traditional application traffic, reshaping network requirements.
* Physical and agentic AI will be among the fastest growing network traffic categories increasing demand for uplink capacity, low latency and distributed infrastructure. 4 November 2026
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