“Indian telcos need to address ever-increasing levels of data traffic”

Communication service providers around the world recognize the need for immediate action on AI and automation in their operations.

- Pradeep Chakraborty

Ericsson South East Asia, Oceania and India Head of Network Operations Igor Maurell speaks with Pradeep Chakraborty on automation in the telecom sector, network complexities and the role AI can play in streamlining telcos’ operations. Excerpts:

Pradeep Chakraborty (PC): Why is automation important for Indian operators?

Igor Maurell (IM): With the advent of 5G and the surge in mobile data traffic, networks are becoming more complex. To handle current requirements and be future-ready, telecom operators need to be prepared to manage the network complexities while ensuring efficiency from cost, network and operations standpoint.

To mitigate these complexities operators are looking to automate their network architecture. To this effect, we are seeing an increased adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning towards automating network operations and its management. With automation, not only can the operators be better prepared to manage complexities in the network – It will also help them in providing better customer experiences, thereby strengthening their revenue streams.

PC: What are the major complexities in Indian telecom networks, and how are operators addressing them?