Autonomous networks: once a hype, gradually becoming a reality for telcos

Autonomous networks (AN) represent one of the primary goals for the telecommunications industry, especially for major telcos. These networks offer a "Zero-X" experience (zero wait, zero touch, zero trouble) through their advanced capabilities in self-management, self-optimization, self-configuration, and self-security. Key applications of AN include Intent-Based Networks and Self-Organizing Networks, which shift the focus from intrusive human actions (human-in-the-loop) to minimal human intervention (human-on-the-loop).

As customer needs become more complex, AN are gaining significant traction. Key factors driving the shift toward network autonomy include:

• Cost efficiency: at the TM Forum DTW 2023, the telco industry recognized the urgent challenges it faces, with pressure mounting on telcos—a trend that continues through 2024. There is a critical need to reduce operational expenses by minimizing manual intervention, which lowers the risk of human error, and to optimize resource allocation, preventing both over-provisioning and under-utilization.
• Growing network complexity and technological advancements: the deployment of 5G, the surge in IoT devices, and the integration of software-defined networking (SDN)/network functions virtualization (NFV) are making manual network management increasingly impractical.
• Increased demand for enhanced performance and reliability: users now expect seamless, high-performance services with minimal latency. Therefore, predicting and addressing potential issues before they affect users has become essential
• Enhanced security: with rising expectations for network agility and flexibility, improving overall network security is crucial, necessitating the quick and automatic detection and response to threats.

Now let’s be real about the challenges in implementing autonomous networks and look at the key barriers:

(1) Risks of autonomy. Automating actions on critical national infrastructure could pose significant setbacks both from practicality standpoint as well as from regulatory/compliance standpoint.

(2) Cybersecurity concerns. If not managed correctly, such autonomous networks expand the attack surface, making them more vulnerable to cyber threats and potential violations to data protection regulations.

(3) Integration of such advanced network infrastructure with legacy systems for interoperability, automated actions are also another significant undertaking, that can’t be under-estimated. We all also recognize the importance of data in driving insights and making decisions on the network.

(4) Fragmented data landscape with accuracy shortfalls, makes it even more difficult.

(5) Skill gaps. Staying ahead of the curve with technologies like AI and advanced network management with a continued focus and governance for innovation and future readiness is paramount.

TM Forum defines five levels of autonomous networks, from basic automation (Level 1) to full autonomy (Level 5). Each level represents increased self-management capabilities, reducing the need for human intervention. This journey towards fully autonomous networks, leveraging TM Forum guidelines, involves a structured and strategic transformation process.

It starts with measuring maturity and setting the vision: assess current operational state and define a vision for autonomous networks. This involves evaluating existing processes, infrastructure, and automation levels. Leverage TM Forum's Digital Maturity Model (DMM) to benchmark digital maturity and identify gaps. The vision is followed by strategic planning. TM Forum’s Open Digital Architecture (ODA) provides a reference model for designing and deploying modular and flexible systems. This stage includes setting clear objectives for automation, AI integration, and customer experience improvements. Then comes the execution through a structured ROI driven implementation of AI and automation to enable predictive analytics and real-time decision-making. Once set-up, integrating this capability to rest of the ecosystem needs process optimization and integration through TM Forum’s Open APIs.

We at CGI strongly believe, with right tools/ solutions, right adoption of TM Forum standards, infrastructure resources and a disciplined approach towards execution, telcos can evolve their network autonomy maturity levels towards a Level-5 maturity. Our focus to make this journey towards full autonomy of networks a reality include:

Application transformation and integration: operate as trusted advisors to define an application portfolio rationalization roadmap and adopt TM Forum’s Open APIs and ODAs.

Bring the right solution by identifying right products and technologies to enable the maturity and capabilities for network autonomy.

Optimized monitoring: evolve from a state of reactive remediation to a predictive self-healing state through proactive monitoring and automation solutions.

Data management and analytics: support to build the right data strategy and solution to manage and harness the data landscape effectively, achieve the right data quality and enable advanced analytics capabilities.

Cybersecurity measures: provide the right cyber security capabilities and comprehensive security frameworks to minimize the cyberattack surface.

Skills and training for continuous service improvement and governance: operate as a strategic partner to engage the right skills and provide ongoing support and governance.

Continuous service improvement and governance: provide ongoing support and governance to ensure the effective operation and address any issues that arise due to changes in underlying network infrastructure.

Are you up for making the AN vision a reality?