Nokia forecasts AI to drive 44% of global network traffic by 2035

Nokia released the Global Network Traffic Report 2026-2035 on November 4, 2026, projecting a massive shift in network demands driven by artificial intelligence and connected devices. The report indicates that by 2035, AI is expected to account for approximately 44% of worldwide network traffic. Overall global monthly network traffic is forecast to nearly quadruple between 2026 and 2035, reaching an estimated 3,789 EB. The rise of AI Agents and connected machines is challenging traditional downlink-heavy network architectures, significantly increasing the need for upload bandwidth and real-time interaction capabilities. Physical AI applications, such as smart vehicles and robots interacting with their environment, are projected to generate over 90% of their data traffic on the network uplink by 2035. Specifically, AI Agent traffic is anticipated to be 160 times higher than 2026 levels, while Physical AI traffic is expected to reach 105 times the 2026 baseline. Furthermore, the report notes that Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is set to contribute over one-third of total consumer cellular network traffic by 2035.