The 2023 MEF Awards program recognizes excellence and innovation in the global community committed to providing advanced communications solutions optimized for the digital economy.
This year’s program spotlights service providers, technology suppliers, and professionals who are playing leading roles in driving industry transformation to dynamic services across a global ecosystem of automated networks.
4 Aug 2023: Entry Deadline
5 Aug – 1 Sep: Judging
11 Sep: Finalists Announced
3 Oct: MEF Excellence Awards Gala Dinner
Recognizes the Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) solution provider that best combines on-demand connectivity, application assurance, cybersecurity, multi-cloud-based services, and other advanced features in order to provide a superior cloud-like customer experience.
To be awarded for these geographic regions: Global | Asia Pacific | Europe | Latin America | Middle East & Africa | USA & Canada
To apply: Briefly describe your offering, the types of customers using your solution, key challenges being addressed, and major benefits customers have achieved.
Recognizes an industry-leading service provider that has strategically committed to offering a NaaS platform/solution, has shared an advanced vision for NaaS, and has implemented the best NaaS marketing program. All elements of the NaaS solution do not have to be in production at the time of submission for the award.
To be awarded for these geographic regions: Worldwide
To apply: Briefly describe your NaaS vision, the challenges you are addressing or planning to address, and expected benefits offered by your solution. Please share marketing collateral links or attachments related to your current or planned NaaS offering.
Recognizes an industry-leading service provider that combines network connectivity, cybersecurity functions, and subscriber policies into the most compelling SASE service offering available to customers.
To be awarded for these geographic regions: Global | Asia Pacific | Europe | Latin America | Middle East & Africa | USA & Canada
To apply: Briefly describe your offering, the types of customers using your solution, key challenges being addressed, and major benefits customers have achieved.
Recognizes an industry-leading service provider that offers the most advanced SD-WAN service available in the market. This secure application-aware, over-the-top WAN connectivity service uses policies to determine how application flows are directed over multiple underlay networks.
To be awarded for these geographic regions: Global | Asia Pacific | Europe | Latin America | Middle East & Africa | USA & Canada
To apply: Briefly describe your offering, the types of customers using your solution, key challenges being addressed, and major benefits customers have achieved.
Recognizes an industry-leading service provider that offers on-demand MEF 3.0 CE services optimized for digital transformation.
To be awarded for these geographic regions: Global | Asia Pacific | Europe | Latin America | Middle East & Africa | USA & Canada
To apply: Briefly describe your offering, the types of customers using your solution, key challenges being addressed, and major benefits customers have achieved.
Recognizes the service provider with the largest number of MEF 3.0 CE, SD-WAN, and LSO certifications.
To be awarded for these geographic regions: Worldwide
No submission required: The recipient of this award will be chosen objectively.
Recognizes a service provider that has the largest number of MEF LSO business API production implementations with buyer and/or sell partners.
To apply: Please provide the number of sell/buy partners with whom you have production implementations of LSO Sonata/Cantata APIs as of 28 July 2023.
Recognizes the LSO solution provider that has supported the largest number of MEF LSO business or operational API implementations between January 2022 and 28 July 2023.
To apply: Please provide the number of companies that have used your solution to enter into production with MEF LSO business and operational APIs between January 2022 and 28 July 2023.
Recognizes the service provider that has contributed the most to LSO adoption growth since January 2022.
No submission required: The recipient of this award will be chosen objectively.
Recognizes the company offering the best digital services ecosystem automation platform. This company plays a central role in interconnecting ecosystem players – including enterprises, hyperscalers, SaaS providers, communications service providers, and others – using a combination of MEF LSO APIs and customized APIs.
To apply: Briefly describe your offering, the types of customers implementing your solution, key challenges being addressed, and major benefits customers have achieved.
Recognizes a software technology solutions provider that has had the greatest impact in accelerating digital transformation and improving customer experience across the industry through automation of business and/or operational workflows in the end-to-end service lifecycle.
To apply: Briefly describe your service automation solutions portfolio, the types of customers implementing your solutions, key challenges being addressed, and major benefits customers have achieved.
Recognizes a software technology solutions provider that has introduced a highly innovative solution that helps service providers overcome a particular pressing challenge in transitioning to dynamic services and delivering NaaS solutions. This solution may be targeted toward automation of a specific business or operational function or automation of multiple functions.
To apply: Briefly describe your innovative service automation solution, the types of customers implementing your solution, the specific major challenge being addressed, and major benefits customers have achieved.
Recognizes the LSO broker supporting the largest number of companies transacting via MEF LSO business APIs. This includes LSO-enabled buyers and sellers transacting with their partners via both MEF LSO APIs and non-MEF APIs.
To apply: Please provide the number of companies currently transacting via MEF LSO business APIs using your broker platform. This includes (1) LSO-Sonata enabled buyers transacting with seller partners who may or may not be using MEF LSO APIs and (2) LSO Sonata-enabled sellers transacting with buyer partners who may or may not be using MEF LSO APIs.
Recognizes the LSO connectivity exchange supporting the largest number of companies transacting via MEF LSO business APIs. This includes LSO-enabled buyers and sellers transacting with their partners via both MEF LSO APIs and non-MEF APIs.
To apply: Please provide the number of companies currently transacting via MEF LSO business APIs using your connectivity exchange platform. This includes (1) LSO-Sonata enabled buyers transacting with seller partners who may or may not be using MEF LSO APIs and (2) LSO Sonata-enabled sellers transacting with buyer partners who may or may not be using MEF LSO APIs.
Recognizes the industry executive who has exhibited exceptional leadership (vision, strategy, execution, collaboration, etc.) during the past year in driving industry transformation toward dynamic services across an ecosystem of automated networks.
To apply: To nominate a colleague or other outstanding industry professional deserving of this award, please submit a brief nomination in the awards portal.
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.
To apply: To nominate a colleague or other outstanding industry professional deserving of this award, please submit a brief nomination in the awards portal.
4 Aug 2023: Entry Deadline
5 Aug – 1 Sep: Judging
11 Sep: Finalists Announced
3 Oct: MEF Excellence Awards Gala Dinner
