Midsummer in the Nordics is a time of light, marking the high point of summer, which promises new beginnings and possibilities. This was the perfect setting for our Midsummer Launch, which focused on the tremendous new possibilities driven by AI and automation. These technologies promise to transform how networks are designed, optimized and maintained, bringing unprecedented efficiency and agility for our customers. 

At Nokia, we see automation as a unifying principle that spans end-to-end services, and across all network layers. Whether it’s the radio access network, transport, core, fixed or optical domains, AI-powered automation will allow operators to evolve their networks faster, operate leaner and deliver outstanding customer experiences that previously might not have been possible. 

At the Midsummer Launch, Mikael Rylander, our Vice President of Technology Leadership, introduced Nokia’s autonomous network vision that covers the cross-domain autonomous network fabric. As Mikael explains in this video, we have closely aligned our automation architecture with the TM Forum’s autonomous network framework, and we’re now paving the way to level 5, which means fully autonomous operations.

An excellent example of how we bring the autonomous network vision to life is the recent launch of our Autonomous Network Fabric, a framework that leverages our unique position in the industry to deliver end-to-end intelligence thanks to our cross-domain expertise. You can read more about Autonomous Network Fabric in this press release. 

Turning cross-domain intelligence into reality

Our Autonomous Network Fabric is the architectural foundation for intent-based, AI-powered automation at scale. It brings together all the modular building blocks operators need, from business operations intelligence and service operations intelligence to domain-level orchestration and assurance. It allows our customers to move way beyond reactive operations and start building networks that sense, think and act for themselves. 

Our advanced automation solutions enable observability, openness and orchestration through a framework that is standards-based, secure and future-ready. What makes this vision especially important is how it connects across domains. It unifies our strengths across radio, core, transport and cloud into one intelligent fabric, delivering automation that spans the entire network. Not only that, we are building on field-proven solutions that are already today helping operators worldwide accelerate automation across mobile, fixed and cloud networks, which ensures investment protection for our existing customers.

Enabling intent-based RAN automation with SMO

As we heard from Mark Atkinson, our Senior Vice President and Head of Radio Access Networks at the Midsummer launch, wireless performance is a continuously expanding optimization task. You can read more about his perspectives on the future of AI and automation in this blog.

In the radio access domain, we have enormous optimization potential because of the massive number of functionalities, algorithms and parameters needed for the operation of today’s radio networks. We know that AI and automation are critical for our customers, and we are taking them to the next level with MantaRay SMO, our Service Management and Orchestration solution for the RAN domain.

I’m very proud to say that MantaRay SMO is the only solution in the market that reaches level 4 of TM Forum’s autonomous network framework today. It’s based on our AI-powered MantaRay product family, which has been field-proven in large-scale, multi-supplier environments around the world. It also connects seamlessly with our Autonomous Network Fabric.

With MantaRay SMO, operators can manage and orchestrate their multi-supplier networks in real time, including operations, services, radio applications (rApps) and network slices. Without doubt, the star of our solution is the intent-based MantaRay AutoPilot, whose extensive AI and automation capabilities are unique in the industry. Our major customers are already today leveraging AutoPilot to optimize and automate their networks. 

What makes MantaRay SMO particularly special is that it reflects what operators have been asking for: a solution that doesn’t just promise automation but actually delivers it at scale.

The path forward is autonomous, and it starts now

If there’s one message I truly hope came through clearly during our Midsummer Launch event, it’s that automation is no longer optional, it’s outright foundational. And at Nokia, we’re not just imagining that future; we’re building it. In this article, our President of Mobile Networks, Tommi Uitto, discusses the critical role of AI and automation for our customers.

Whether it’s our vision of an intelligent, cross-domain autonomous network vision, the launch of Autonomous Network Fabric or our industry-leading RAN automation solution, MantaRay SMO, everything we announced last week is moving us closer to fully autonomous networks that are more agile, efficient and open than ever before.

If you missed the Midsummer Launch, I encourage you to watch the replay here. For more information on our comprehensive solutions, visit the MantaRay SMO and Autonomous Networks webpages.