By Kavit Majithia
Telenor calls for mindset change to achieve network autonomy
Jannicke Hilland, EVP and Head of Telenor Infrastructure, argued operators need a change in mindset that embraces automation and a willingness to test new use cases, ensuring data analytics and AI play a bigger role in an organisation’s decision-making process.
Speaking ahead of today’s panel session on the Anatomy of Autonomous Networks (Hall 6 Stage B, 10.50am), Hilland believes the biggest challenge in making the jump to autonomous networks lies in the culture of an organisation, which needs to be open to changes, as well as developing the right partner ecosystem based on interoperability and integration.
“The whole value chain needs to be involved in this, together,” she said. “If you are to succeed, innovations are happening around us and the ability to adapt these into telco services will be key to success. Telcos are unlikely to do this on their own.”
Hilland also highlighted interoperability and integration challenges. On the former, the executive said problems arise as each partner operates with its own unique set of systems, processes and workflows, which could be a barrier to seamless collaboration.
Meanwhile, integration challenges are typically related to technical standards, tools and data which need to be addressed to ensure the successful integration of new technologies and intelligent adaptation of autonomous networks.
That being said, Hilland noted the evolution of autonomous networks has seen remarkable progress in recent years, largely due to the advancement in technologies like cloud, AI and virtualisation.
In addition, cross-domain closed-loop orchestration “is perhaps the most recent stage in the evolution of autonomous networks”.
This, according to Hilland, will bring maturity and adaptability to autonomous networks as it allows for seamless integration and coordination across different networks, service domains and the entire lifecycle.
“This arguably means achieving fully autonomous networks.”