The NaaS Excellence Awards highlight innovation, collaboration, and industry leadership within the NaaS ecosystem.
The Awards celebrate the latest advancements shaping the future of NaaS. See below for all the award categories available this year.
Awards Open: 28 April 2026
Entries Close: 26 June 2026
Finalists Announced: 25 August 2026
Winners Announced: 23 September 2026 at the NaaS Excellence Awards Gala
Submission Guidelines: Award Submission Guide PDF
Award Submissions: awards.mplify.net
Questions? Email awards@mplify.net
Submission Guidelines: Award Submission Guide PDF
Award Submissions: awards.mplify.net
Questions? Email awards@mplify.net
Recognizes a provider demonstrating leadership in delivering AI-ready network infrastructure including high-performance connectivity, data center interconnection, and automated, on-demand service delivery supporting AI workloads.
Global & Regional
Recognizes the most forward-looking strategy and architecture for AI-ready infrastructure including ecosystem development and emerging service models.
Global & Regional
Recognizes leadership in delivering scalable NaaS through strong ecosystem partnerships, API-driven automation, and commercial execution across multi-provider environments.
Up to Three Awards for Separate Industry Verticals
Recognizes service providers delivering NaaS solutions to enterprise customers with measurable business and technical outcomes including automation, performance, scalability, and seamless connectivity across multi-provider environments. Up to three awards may be given reflecting outstanding implementations across different industry verticals.
Recognizes an organization enabling high-performance interconnection and seamless connectivity across service providers, data centers, IXCs, and cloud platforms supporting scalable, AI-ready infrastructure.
Recognizes excellence in API-driven automation of buyer–seller business and operational interactions using standardized LSO APIs across partners.
Recognizes an organization demonstrating innovation in the delivery of NaaS including new service models, on-demand and usage-based offerings, and integrated multi-provider solutions. Innovations should deliver measurable business and operational value to customers such as improved agility, performance, scalability, and simplified service consumption across distributed environments.
Global & Regional
Recognizes innovation in Carrier Ethernet services that enhance performance, scalability, and service delivery across enterprise and wholesale environments including the use of Mplify-certified services to ensure interoperability, consistency, and trusted interconnection. Awards may highlight advancements in high-capacity connectivity, service automation, and support for data-intensive and AI-driven workloads.
Recognizes a provider demonstrating leadership in delivering secure NaaS capabilities including Zero Trust architectures, SASE integration, and protection of data and connectivity across multi-provider environments supporting enterprise and AI-driven workloads.
Recognizes overall leadership in enabling LSO-based automation across transaction models, APIs, payloads, and multi-provider ecosystems including production deployments and scalable ecosystem integration.
Recognizes platforms enabling AI-driven coordination and automation of network services through orchestration layers supporting real-time decisioning and dynamic service delivery.
Recognizes platforms enabling orchestration and coordination across multiple providers, domains, and lifecycle stages, including ordering, provisioning, and assurance spanning fixed, mobile, satellite, data center, and interconnection (IXC) environments.
Recognizes leadership and innovation in technologies and implementations that enable Mplify Certified Carrier Ethernet services. Emphasizes standards-based, performance-assured connectivity, with a focus on solutions that deliver deterministic, scalable, and interoperable infrastructure for multi-provider and AI-ready environments.
Recognizes innovation in AI-optimized network infrastructure across any technology domain, including optical, Carrier Ethernet, IP, and software-defined architectures. Focuses on AI-driven networking, automation, and high-performance connectivity that enable distributed AI workloads across multi-domain environments.
Recognizes organizations demonstrating innovation in technologies that enable NaaS including platforms, automation frameworks, infrastructure, and secure connectivity solutions that enhance programmability, interoperability, performance, and scalability. The award may recognize solutions delivered in collaboration across multiple ecosystem participants.
Recognizes a vendor delivering secure NaaS technology solutions including Zero Trust architectures, SASE or SSE capabilities, and identity- and policy-driven protection of data, users, and connectivity across distributed, multi-provider environments supporting enterprise and AI-driven workloads.
Open to both Service and Technology Providers
Recognizes an organization building and leveraging strong ecosystem partnerships to deliver integrated multi-provider NaaS solutions including coordinated service delivery across service providers, data centers, IXCs, cloud platforms, and enterprise customers.
Recognizes the industry executive who has exhibited exceptional leadership (vision, strategy, execution, collaboration, etc.) during the past year in driving industry transformation toward NaaS across an ecosystem of automated networks.
This memorial award recognizes an outstanding individual who has made a demonstratively positive impact in building a sense of community, sharing knowledge, and encouraging collaboration to create a better together industry. Examples of positive impact include a friendly, supportive approach to professional relationships, leadership in helping industry leaders tackle difficult challenges, meaningful contributions to hot topic projects, demonstrated willingness to engage with and mentor colleagues, and a positive attitude that inspires others.
Recognizes a pioneering individual whose trailblazing leadership has made a profound impact on the industry and inspired others to embrace bold innovation.