The telecom industry is on a journey to fully autonomous networks. This means the network operates independently with closed-loop automation across services, domains, and lifecycle stages and requires minimal to no human intervention. Most Communication Service Providers (CSPs) aim to achieve autonomous networks in the short to medium term, and Nokia is playing a key role in driving this evolution.

A catalyst for innovation

TMForum has been propelling this journey, and Nokia has been an active participant in TMForum catalysts for several years. Catalyst projects bring together CSPs and technology providers to co-create solutions with a specific focus on AI and automation. They are all about collaborating to drive innovation across our industry and beyond. This year, Nokia is leading a Moonshot Catalyst at DTW Copenhagen, Evolving to full network autonomy. Through this catalyst project and together with several technology partners and CSP champions, we are revolutionizing network operations with fully autonomous, AI-driven, self-managing networks.

Business-focused use cases

Autonomous Networks Intent Networking (IDAN) promises to revolutionize how we manage and optimize our networks, and intent management with TMF921 plays a crucial role in enabling this transformation.  At Nokia, we've been at the forefront of IDAN innovation, conducting numerous TMF catalysts to explore different functionalities and opportunities that come with it. Our latest Catalyst tackles one of the telecommunications industry’s most ambitious challenges: achieving fully autonomous networks at scale; networks that can self-configure, self-heal, and self-optimize, or, as we like to say, networks that can sense, think, and act. 

In our Catalyst, we showcase two highly interesting aspects and explain how the Digital Twin fits into the intent negotiation and intent assurance processes.  

Firstly, we look at the time before the intent is created and support the creation of the intent. There, we combine TMF921 probing with a Network Digital Twin, enabling CSPs to significantly enhance the reliability of their services and reduce the risk of customer dissatisfaction. This approach involves simulating the service intent against the digital twin to validate its feasibility before it's sold. This proactive approach ensures that the service can be delivered as promised, minimizing the risk of overselling or under-delivering.

Imagine an event organizer planning a large outdoor event, like an F1 race, and needing guaranteed connectivity for point-of-sale devices and streaming services. By using TMF921 probing, the CSP can simulate the service intent, considering the event location, date, and expected device usage. The Digital Twin, with its real-time data and historical information, can then assess the network capacity and identify potential bottlenecks.

Once a service intent is ordered and orchestrated, the process of assuring the intent begins. Data is collected, and AIOps monitors the network for anomalies, predicting potential issues before they arise. Agentic AI and LLMs analyze the situation and generate dynamic actions to address any problems. We utilize the Digital Twin, which simulates these actions, to ensure that they have the predicted impact on the network. The most optimal actions out of those tests are then presented to the user for approval. Upon approval, the actions are automatically executed on the network, taking closed-loop autonomous management to the next level.

The power of combined technologies

TMF Catalyst projects are invaluable platforms for exploring new technologies and concepts, collaborating with partners, and pushing the boundaries of innovation. This recent Catalyst showcases a powerful convergence of technologies, particularly in the realm of autonomous networks, intent management, agentic AI architecture, and Digital Twins.

Providing the foundations for this are our platform, infrastructure, and system integration technology partners:

• Microsoft Azure: Our partnership with Microsoft enables us to deploy applications on demand on their Azure Cloud, demonstrating the flexibility and scalability of our software. This also allows us to leverage Microsoft's capabilities in hosting Large Language Models (LLMs), which we can integrate into our agentic AI architecture.
• Red Hat OpenShift: Our collaboration with Red Hat brings OpenShift (ARO) on Azure, further enhancing our ability to deploy and manage AI models within the Catalyst environment.
• Infosys is our partner on system integration work, and this time with a focus on Knowledge Graphs on the Unified Inventory (UIV).

This robust infrastructure allows for rapid development and deployment, a crucial aspect of Catalyst projects.

Our Catalyst delivers a bold yet practical implementation of Level 4+ Autonomous Network capabilities, demonstrating how CSPs can evolve from reactive operations to proactive, intent-driven autonomy, powered by AI, Digital Twins, and TM Forum standards. We do this through:

• TMF921 Intent Management API: We've been actively testing the TMF921 Intent Management API, building upon the feasibility checks conducted with TMF645. This API enables sophisticated scenarios, allowing us to integrate knowledge bases, AI-driven traffic prediction, and service simulations on the Digital Twin into the probing process.
• Qvantel Integration: The TMF APIs facilitate seamless integration with Qvantel, which handles the business layer, ensuring a comprehensive and efficient solution.
• Agentic AI architecture: The Catalyst showcases the use of LLMs and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) in the assurance process, highlighting our transition towards an agentic AI architecture. LLMs serve as the "brain" of these agents, enabling us to convert network anomalies into actionable insights.
• Digital Twin Simulation: We demonstrate how AI Agents can simulate the impact of actions on the Digital Twin, verifying the effectiveness of generated actions before implementing them on the actual network.

Better together

Our Moonshot Catalyst project showcases the power of collaboration and the rapid evolution of technologies. It's a significant milestone in the telecommunications industry's pursuit of fully autonomous networks. By integrating TMF APIs, GenAI, and Digital Twins, CSPs can unlock new business potential, enhance customer experience, and achieve operational excellence, setting a new industry benchmark for intent-driven networks that continuously adapt to evolving demands. We will be showcasing this project at DTW Copenhagen from 17-19 June, so come along to see our live demo.

For more information on Nokia’s Digital Operations products, visit our webpage here.