Global Leaders Forum

What Global Leaders Forum does

Global Leaders Forum (GLF) is a London-headquartered membership organization serving as the recognized voice of the international connectivity industry. Founded in 2016 and operating under techoraco Limited, GLF brings together 170+ member organizations across 42 countries — 106 of which are ICT infrastructure and service providers — with 80% of its C-Level representatives holding CEO positions. The membership includes tier-1 international carriers such as AT&T, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, Sparkle, e&, Airtel, BT, NTT, Liberty Networks, and Mobily. Its mission is to provide industry leadership grounded in interoperability, connectivity, and value creation.

GLF's product surface consists of a member platform and iOS/Android community app (launched May 2024), four strategic pillars of work (People/DIB, Trust/fraud prevention, Interoperability, Innovation), and a portfolio of industry frameworks and codes of conduct. The 'Tomorrow's Telco' framework structures programmes of work around Digital Infrastructure 2030, Use Case Enablement, Operational Transformation, and People. Its Voice Code of Conduct (40+ signatories since 2018) and SMS Code of Conduct (30+ signatories since 2024), developed jointly with i3Forum, function as quasi-regulatory standards for cross-border carrier behavior. Annual Fraud Reports and DIB Reports serve as industry benchmarks, with the 2025 Fraud Report citing that 69% of carriers rank fraud prevention as a top strategic priority. An IoT Proof of Concept demonstrated an 88% reduction in roaming round-trip latencies (from 296ms to 35ms).

Revenue is generated through annual membership fees from international ICT service providers and digital infrastructure companies, supplemented by event sponsorship at exclusive GLF Lounges hosted at major industry conferences (ITW, Capacity Europe, ITW Africa, ITW Asia, Capacity Middle East, Datacloud). GLF is governed by a Board of senior executives from member companies, chaired by Enrico Bagnasco (CEO of Sparkle) with Nabil Baccouche (e&) as Vice Chair. The organization is a small, lean team of 1-10 employees, reflecting its role as a coordinating and convening body rather than a product-led technology company.

Name

Global Leaders Forum

Legal name

techoraco Limited

Website

https://glfcommunity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Global Leaders Forum (GLF) is a London-based membership organization serving 170+ international ICT service providers and digital infrastructure companies across 42 countries, providing industry coordination through codes of conduct, fraud and DIB reports, and exclusive networking at major telecom events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Industry Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Executive Leadership Summits (C-Suite, Board, Strategy Offsites) (THAHAMAA), Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB), Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Telecom industry association
• Carrier membership organization
• Digital infrastructure membership
• Telecom fraud prevention
• Industry thought leadership

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: GLF generates revenue through annual membership fees from international ICT service providers, carriers, and digital infrastructure companies. Membership provides access to exclusive events, board participation, industry reports, and networking opportunities.
2. Event Sponsorship: Revenue from sponsorship opportunities at GLF lounges during major industry events including ITW, Capacity Europe, ITW Africa, ITW Asia, and Datacloud Global Congress.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Global Leaders Forum is a membership organization that provides a unified voice for the international connectivity industry by convening C-level executives from international ICT service providers and digital infrastructure companies. It sells paid annual memberships that grant access to exclusive event lounges, board participation, working groups, industry codes of conduct, annual fraud and DIB reports, the Tomorrow's Telco framework, a member web platform, and a member mobile app.

Product overview

Global Leaders Forum (GLF) is a membership organization for the telecoms and connectivity industry that provides a single voice to the broader digital ecosystem. The organization operates through four strategic pillars: People (Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging), Trust (fraud prevention through Codes of Conduct and annual Fraud Reports), Interoperability, and Innovation. GLF's core offerings include the GLF Community Member App (iOS/Android), the member platform (featuring Content Hub, Virtual Discussions, Discussion Groups, and Event Calendar), the Tomorrow's Telco Framework (network transformation roadmap), and various industry reports (Fraud Reports, DIB Reports, SMS Messaging Charter). The organization convenes at major industry events including ITW, Capacity Europe, and Datacloud Global Congress.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GLF Membership Annual paid membership for international ICT service providers and digital infrastructure companies, providing access to exclusive event lounges, board participation, working groups, codes of conduct, industry reports, the member platform, and the community mobile app.
• GLF Community Member App Mobile application available on iOS and Android enabling GLF members to collaborate, access exclusive content and reports, participate in community forums, and view GLF activities through an interactive calendar.
• GLF Member Platform Online collaborative platform providing a Content Hub for accessing reports and discussions, Virtual Discussions for member engagement, Discussion Groups tailored to specific interests, Forum Participation for collaborative problem-solving, and an Event Calendar.
• Tomorrow's Telco Framework Collaboratively produced thought leadership framework outlining consensus view on network architecture, capabilities, and requirements needed to meet customer expectations, organized around four pillars: Digital Infrastructure 2030, Use Case Enablement, Operational Transformation, and People.
• GLF Fraud Reports Annual industry reports providing comprehensive analysis of telecom fraud trends, challenges carriers face, and strategies for protecting networks. The 2025 report reveals that 69% of carriers rank fraud prevention as a top strategic priority.
• GLF DIB Reports Annual Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging reports measuring progress on DIB initiatives across the connectivity industry, highlighting proactive steps being taken and addressing topics like female representation, neurodiversity, and AI's role in DIB advancement.
• GLF SMS Messaging Charter Whitepaper and charter developed by a GLF taskforce to establish a sustainable model for SMS as a communication channel and ensure longevity and viability of the SMS ecosystem, including the SMS Anti-Fraud Code of Conduct jointly owned by GLF and i3Forum.
• GLF Voice and SMS Codes of Conduct Industry benchmarks for carrier behavior and best practices to combat fraud in voice and SMS traffic, developed by GLF in collaboration with i3Forum. The Voice Code of Conduct was launched in 2018 (updated 2024 with a seventh principle on IRSF fraud) and the SMS Code of Conduct was introduced in 2024.
• GLF IoT Initiatives (IoT Code of Conduct and Critical IoT Proof of Concept) Includes the GLF IoT Code of Conduct addressing technical and commercial standards for separating IoT traffic by quality of service across borders, and the Critical IoT Proof of Concept demonstrating technical feasibility of low-latency data roaming (reduced round-trip latencies from 296ms to 35ms, an 88% improvement).

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% reduction in IoT roaming round trip latencies (from 296ms to 35ms) achieved through GLF IoT Proof of Concept collaboration
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Epsilon TelecommunicationsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Epsilon Telecommunications co-hosted the GLF Lounge at Capacity Europe 2025, supporting the GLF's presence at the event.
• TeneominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Teneo co-hosted the GLF Lounge at Capacity Europe 2025, supporting the GLF's presence at the event.
• Uniti Group Inc. WholesaleminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Uniti Group Inc. Wholesale co-hosted the GLF Lounge at Capacity Europe 2025, supporting the GLF's presence at the event.
• CienaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Ciena sponsored the GLF Lounge at ITW Africa 2025, providing exclusive networking space for GLF members at the event.
• TelinminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Telin hosted BATIC 2025 and partnered with GLF to host the GLF VIP Lounge and co-hosted the closed-door Leadership Forum with over 30 C-level executives from the APAC digital infrastructure ecosystem.
• Epsilon TelecommunicationsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Epsilon Telecommunications sponsored the GLF Lounge at ITW 2025 alongside Telstra, providing exclusive networking space for GLF members.
• TelstraminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Telstra co-sponsored the GLF Lounge at ITW 2025 alongside Epsilon Telecommunications, providing exclusive networking space for GLF members.
• FTI Consulting/DeltaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025FTI Consulting/Delta sponsored the GLF Lounge at Capacity Middle East 2025, supporting the GLF's presence at the event.
• Identidad TechnologiesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Identidad Technologies co-sponsored the GLF Lounge at Capacity Middle East 2025 alongside FTI Consulting/Delta.
• i3ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024GLF collaborated with i3Forum to develop Voice and SMS Codes of Conduct to combat fraud in the telecommunications industry. The Voice Code of Conduct was updated in 2024 with a seventh principle on IRSF fraud. The SMS Code of Conduct was introduced in 2024 as a joint initiative to address rising SMS fraud.
• SiemensminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Siemens was announced as host of the VIP & Speaker lounge in partnership with GLF at Datacloud Global Congress, leveraging their leadership in digital transformation of data centers.
• techoracocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGLF is part of techoraco, a leading events and community company for the connectivity industry. techoraco organizes flagship events including ITW (International Telecoms Week), Datacloud, and Capacity Media events. GLF provides thought leadership and community engagement for the techoraco ecosystem.
• GSMAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGLF and GSMA stated support for the Restore Trust initiative spearheaded by i3Forum, an effort to build long-term cooperation between the International Communications industry stakeholders.
• Delta PartnersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDelta Partners supported the GLF Digital Infra Leaders Summit at ITW Africa, ensuring coherent and productive discussion during the event.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• ITW (International Telecoms Week): The flagship wholesale carrier conference run by GLF's parent techoraco. Sister event within the same corporate ecosystem where GLF hosts its lounges; comparable as a convening venue but not a peer membership organization.
• Capacity Media: Telecom wholesale industry media and events company running Capacity Europe, ITW Africa, ITW Asia, and Capacity Middle East. Sister company under techoraco and the primary venue partner where GLF lounges are deployed.
• Data Center Dynamics (DCD): Events and media company focused on the data center and digital infrastructure sector. Comparable in producing industry events and thought leadership adjacent to GLF's Digital Infrastructure 2030 pillar and Datacloud lounge presence.
• Datacloud Global Congress: Digital infrastructure and data center industry congress also run by techoraco. Sister event and venue for the GLF Lounge; comparable audience but with a data-center-led rather than carrier-led focus.

Direct peers

• i3Forum: International telecoms industry collaboration body focused on carrier best practices, standards, and fraud-prevention codes of conduct. GLF co-developed the SMS and updated Voice Codes of Conduct with i3Forum, making it the closest peer in mission and member overlap.
• MEF (formerly Metro Ethernet Forum): Industry association developing standards for carrier Ethernet, SD-WAN, and now SASE/optical services. Direct peer to GLF in convening international carriers around interoperability standards and certification, with overlapping member companies.
• TM Forum: Global industry association for telecom service providers and suppliers, focused on digital transformation, OSS/BSS standards, and network APIs. Comparable to GLF as a membership organization convening carriers on operational and technical standards, though with a broader enterprise-BSS remit.

Broad incumbents

• GSMA: The global mobile operator industry association representing hundreds of carriers worldwide. Overlaps with GLF on industry coordination, fraud, and standards (e.g., Restore Trust initiative), but operates at vastly larger scale and across the full mobile value chain, not just international wholesale.

Emerging players

• Cloud Industry Forum: UK-based industry membership body promoting best practices and standards in cloud services. Comparable as an industry-association/membership model, though focused on cloud rather than connectivity infrastructure.
• Carrier Community (CC) Global: Membership and events community for telecom wholesale carriers, with annual gatherings and awards in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Comparable peer model to GLF but with a smaller, more operator-led footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/itwgloballeadersforum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Leaders Forum