From rulebooks to reasoning: Telecom’s next shift

As 5G, cloud, and edge technologies increase network complexity, operators are adopting AI-driven systems that predict, adapt, and act with minimal oversight.

- BY GP. CAPT. CS KRISHNADAS

For years, traditional networks have relied on predetermined rules with manual oversight for traffic management, uptime maintenance and failure resolution.

This worked well in the past when networks were simpler in design, and the services they provided were fundamentally limited to voice and data.

Today’s telecom infrastructure, however, must support a much more complex digital enterprise, driven by 5G, cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), edge technology, and real-time enterprise applications.

Having launched 5G about three years ago, India now has about 400 million 5G subscribers, second only to China, and 4.69 lakh 5G base stations installed across the country. With the expansion of telecom and networking infrastructure across urban areas and developing markets, business-level telecom and networking operators today also face increased challenges in managing their fibre-based networks, distributed infrastructures, edge environments, and ever-growing service demand.

In addition, the need for continuous connectivity across multiple sectors is becoming critical to achieving business success. Today’s networks require high reliability and high speed.

FROM AUTOMATION TO AGENTIC NETWORKING

To succeed in this space, the traditional methods of automating telecom networks will no longer work. As companies around the world deploy across multiple geographic locations and increase interconnection across infrastructure layers, operators require telecom systems capable of providing immediate responsiveness, continuous flexibility, and a high degree of low-touch operations.