"Al-driven autonomous networks are beginning to take shape"

As capex tightens, commoditisation deepens, and hyperscalers chip away at traditional revenue streams, telcos are under mounting pressure to rethink their networks. Yet, as Prashant Ramesh Malkani, Head of Network Infrastructure Business at Nokia India, tells Pratima Harigunani, this is also a moment of immense possibility.

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There is untapped potential in edge computing, cloud and Al factories, FTTX, and fibre expansion through XGS-PON and 25G PON. Opportunities are emerging in quantum-resistant security and QKD, alongside architectural shifts such as disaggregation, open-source software (OSS) modernisation, IP softwarisation, and backend overhauls. The adoption of Full-Stack Disaggregated Networks (FSDN) is setting the stage for autonomous, Al-optimised networks.

In this in-depth conversation, Malkani shares how telcos can shift from connectivity providers to intelligent service platforms—leaning into dark fibre, edge-native capabilities, sustainable networks, and Al-driven orchestration—to stay relevant in the decade ahead.

As telco capex slides, commoditisation pervades, and revenues take a hit in the telecom industry, how do you view the telco market ahead? Could you share your perspective on segments such as Edge, Cloud, MVNOs, private networks, hyperscalers, and Al factories?

We are seeing declining revenues, rising costs, and increasing competition from alternative network providers. However, emerging segments like edge computing, cloud, and Al factories present massive opportunities for telcos to unlock new revenue streams. Telcos could deploy Al-enabled edge data centres at radio sites to host enterprise and Al workloads. They can also partner with cloud providers to offer Edge-as-a-Service, moving beyond traditional connectivity models.

Collaboration with hyperscalers opens up the possibility of delivering cloud-native networking solutions, while productising private cloud connectivity and hybrid cloud orchestration. Last but not least, telcos could expand their dark fibre footprint and build Al grids to power compute centres, enabling Al-driven network automation and offering predictive analytics as a service.