2024 Autonomous Networks Summit Releases the Level 4 Industry Blueprint

Press Release

[Copenhagen, Denmark, June 19, 2024] The Autonomous Networks Summit was held during DTW 2024. Distinguished guests, including executives and representatives from China Mobile, TM Forum, Vodafone, Telefonica, Huawei, Ericsson, and AsiaInfo, as well as Professor Joseph Sifakis, the winner of the 2007 Turing Award, delivered speeches and engaged in discussions about the Level 4 development path. During the summit, industry partners jointly released the Autonomous Networks Level 4 industry blueprint: high-value scenarios. 

This report introduces the Autonomous Networks (AN) Level 4 industry blueprint, which includes the vision and objectives, value scenarios, technology architecture, and evolution path. It serves as a valuable reference for communications service providers (CSPs) looking to plan and deploy AN Level 4. TM Forum has selected 15 high-value scenarios based on service and operations value and technology maturity for CSPs to prioritize when implementing Level 4. Additionally, TM Forum has proposed the integration of AI and GenAI into the three-layer AN architecture to develop role-specific copilots and scenario-specific agents. Furthermore, TM Forum has defined the overall AN Level 4 evolution plan. The plan focuses on achieving single-domain closed-loop autonomy in maintenance and optimization scenarios in phase 1. In phase 2, the plan focuses on implementing end-to-end closed-loop autonomy in complex scenarios. 

Figure 1. Release Ceremony – Autonomous Networks Level 4 Industry Blueprint 

During the event themed ‘L4 is Coming’, a diverse group of guests shared their thoughts on Level 4 high-value scenarios, key challenges, solutions, and practical experiences. The discussions centered around the journey towards achieving Level 4. 

In the welcome speech, Nik Willetts, TM Forum CEO, said, “ As one of TM Forum Missions, Autonomous Networks not only improve the O&M efficiency and user experience, but also enables operators to efficiently innovate new services and products, and unlock the new revenue opportunities.” 

Dr Li Huidi, Vice President of China Mobile, emphasized in his speech that “As 5G, AI and other technologies quickly develop, we are writing a new chapter of history. To achieve AN Level 4, we propose the following suggestions. First, we must seize the opportunities for innovation and encourage various organizations to collaborate on the development of an AN standards system. Second, we must advance industry collaboration and develop a new ecosystem for converged development. Then, we must widely promote international collaboration based on the concept of mutual benefits.” 

“Autonomous Networks are an advanced integration of AI and networks, and Highly Autonomous Networks need to be achieved phase by phase. We must integrate an AI agent architecture to networks, while ensuring trustworthy systems and network group intelligence.” said Professor Joseph Sifakis, while presenting his solutions to AN L4+ technical challenges. 

As a representative of leading vendors, Dang Wenshuan, Huawei’s Chief Strategy Architect, stated, “Autonomous Networks are currently witnessing tremendous progress. We suggest that the industry take Level 4 as a new starting point and adhere to five principles, which are single-domain autonomy, cross-domain collaboration, value-driven, visualization, and productization. We should develop scenario-specific AI agents and role-specific copilot apps as products and professional services to achieve a quantum leap to Autonomous Networks Level 4.” 

Reaching Level 4 will be a gradual and long-term process that requires step-by-step and phase-by-phase implementation. The Level 4 industry blueprint is anticipated to serve as a valuable guide for the industry as it progresses towards Level 4. All industry stakeholders are dedicated to working together to drive the transformation of the telecom industry towards Highly Autonomous Networks. 

 

About Autonomous Networks Summit 

Autonomous Networks (AN) was jointly proposed by TM Forum and industry partners, including carriers and vendors in 2019, aiming to make services quicker, cheaper and simpler to deploy and manage. After five years of development, AN has achieved remarkable milestones in industry consensus, standardization and practical implementation. Autonomous Networks Summit is a communication platform for industry leaders to share their practices, thoughts, and viewpoints around AN and discuss how to collaborate to advance AN development. 

Recent Posts