Automation and AI is The Future – Are You Getting Left Behind?

*Blog Series by Vivek Kumar Tripathi, Associate Director, Product Marketing for Mavenir’s Cloud, AI, IMS & Security Business

In the fast-paced world of telecom, staying ahead of the curve demands more than simply sticking to traditional methods. As customer expectations skyrocket and network complexities grow, telecom operators must harness innovative technologies to truly thrive. This blog series dives deep into the transformative power of cloud-native automation and artificial intelligence (AI) in the telecom industry. We’ll uncover how these cutting-edge technologies can revolutionize customer experiences, slash operational costs, and boost overall efficiency. Join us on this exciting journey to discover why embracing cloud-native automation and AI is not just a technology choice, but a business necessity for today’s Communication Service Providers (CSPs).

Part 1 of Blog Series – Automation and AI is The Future – Are You Getting Left Behind?

Leveraging State-Of-The-Art Automation Capabilities in Telco

Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are striving to accelerate new service launches and solution implementations to deliver network optimization while, at the same time, seeking to achieve more with fewer resources, save time and costs, and minimize human errors. With the advent of 5G and beyond, attaining these goals is becoming increasingly challenging. Traditional approaches to network modernization are proving inadequate as networks grow ever more complex and dynamic, with the need to adapt swiftly and agilely to diverse, next-generation use cases.

Despite significant investments in advanced network infrastructure, and the relentless efforts of operations teams to ensure high-quality service for end-users, many CSPs are struggling to see the desired benefits. To truly succeed, telcos must embrace a radical transformation in their network deployment and operations strategies – including leveraging the efficiency advantages of advanced automation.

Humans are prone to making errors, especially when they are tired, bored, or overconfident. Automation tools introduce key efficiencies by performing tasks – from simple and routine to highly complex – at a consistent quality level and without human error. By delivering valuable productivity gains, the latest automation tools are enabling CSPs to achieve faster deployments and operations, saving significant time and costs in network management.

Automation is no longer a choice but a necessity for CSPs. The crucial question is: how can organization automate effectively to meet both current and future business needs?

According to recent telecoms market research from leading consultancy Analysys Mason, CSPs must set course on a new trajectory by adopting a cloud-native automation approach from the ground up. In its strategic analysis, the firm emphasizes the need to transition from traditional imperative and script-based automation to a new paradigm—declarative and model-driven automation. Analysys Mason asserts that this innovative cloud-native automation approach, envisioned by advanced CSPs and pioneering vendors, will transform the network cloud automation market over the next decade.

Declarative automation differs conceptually from traditional imperative automation and confers distinct scaling advantages that can significantly improve how telco operations are managed and optimized, as summarized here:

Imperative Automation

• How it works: CSPs use detailed scripts to automate tasks. These scripts specify each step required to achieve a particular outcome.
• Example: Configuring network devices manually by writing scripts that detail every command and sequence.
• Challenges: This approach can be time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to maintain, especially as networks grow in complexity. Each change requires updating the scripts, which can lead to inconsistencies and increased operational overhead.

Declarative Automation

• How it works: CSPs define the desired state of the network or system, and the automation platform determines the necessary steps to achieve that state.
• Example: Using a cloud-native automation tool to specify that a network should have certain configurations, and the tool automatically applies the necessary changes.
• Benefits: CSPs focus on what they want to achieve rather than how to achieve it. It ensures uniform configurations across the network, reducing the risk of human error. It is easier to manage and scale as the network grows, since the desired state is defined once and applied automatically. It enables faster deployment of new services and updates, improving overall operational efficiency.

Navigating the Shift to Declarative Automation in Telecom

The technology and commercial case for moving to declarative automation is clear and compelling, but CSPs need to adopt the right approach to integrate it seamlessly into network operations. Rather than reinventing the wheel, CSPs should leverage state-of-the-art automation frameworks that are already in successful use outside of the telecom industry and fine-tune them to meet the specific needs of their business. This approach will save significant time and money that would otherwise be spent on developing new solutions from scratch.

Telcos must seek to actively cultivate a culture that wholeheartedly embraces cloud and automation across all departments, ensuring streamlined collaboration between telco domain experts and cloud and automation specialists. Simply hiring a few point experts won’t solve the problem – it’s about continuously fostering an environment where innovation thrives.

Staying true to its pioneering spirit, Mavenir has developed a Cloud-Native Automation solution that revolutionizes the deployment and operations of 4G/5G RAN, Packet Core, and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks. Leveraging open-source components and methodologies such as Kubernetes (K8s) Operators and GitOps, Mavenir’s solution provides CSPs with end-to-end automation of Day-0, Day-1, and Day-2 lifecycle management operations in a highly cost-efficient manner. This approach not only enhances operational efficiency but also empowers CSPs to deliver exceptional service quality to end-users.

Mavenir has successfully implemented declarative automation using Kubernetes (K8s) for IMS network deployment, upgrades, updates, and scaling, significantly reducing time, effort, and human errors for a leading CSP in North America. Mavenir’s Cloud-Native IMS leverages declarative automation and applies advanced AI/ML algorithms on live traffic to provide deeper intelligence, ensuring an enhanced customer experience and making Mavenir the CSP’s preferred vendor for cloud-native IMS services.

Mavenir’s technology enables end-to-end automation of Day-1 initial deployment and Day-2 lifecycle management operations, including upgrades and rollbacks. Mavenir offers full-stack automation, encompassing infrastructure automation, cloud platform automation, network function (NF) automation, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline automation. Additionally, Mavenir’s solution facilitates simultaneous deployment of servers, clusters, and applications through a single graphical user interface (GUI), streamlining operations and boosting efficiency.

Mavenir’s cloud-native automation solution delivers substantial benefits across deployment, updates, upgrades and scaling operations by defining desired state of cloud-native network functions (CNFs) to:

• Enhance speed of execution for network deployment and operations
• Increase productivity by decreasing need for manual effort
• Minimize element of human-error by reducing manual touches
• Eliminate network drift by monitoring and maintaining target state

An illustrative implementation of declarative automation for Mavenir IMS CNFs – Session Border Controller (SBC), Telephony Application Server (TAS), and IMS Core (IMC) – is shown in Figure 2. Mavenir provides all the necessary tools and infrastructure automation capabilities, offering seamless integration with other cloud ecosystem functions such as Advanced Cluster Management (ACM) from Red Hat. The workflows across network functions (NFs) and infrastructure are orchestrated by workflow engines such as Argo Workflow, using Open APIs.

Mavenir solution also supports one-click deployment, where the necessary version-controlled inputs detailing the configuration of data centers, clusters and applications are incorporated. This triggers a state-controlled transition of simultaneous steps that culminate in fully configured CNFs that are ready to handle live network traffic.

While 5G deployments are complex – involving a mix of public, private, and on-premises clouds – Mavenir’s cloud-native automation can manage these diverse environments under a single user interface, providing real-time monitoring of the entire deployment and operations activities and offering complete transparency and control of the deployment – ensuring it is done right, first time.

In this blog, we’ve explored how today’s cloud-native automation capabilities are revolutionizing the telecom industry, but the true potential of these advancements is realized when combined with the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). While automation can efficiently handle repetitive tasks and processes, AI brings a new layer of intelligence that unlocks exciting opportunities for predictive insights, personalized services, and adaptive learning. In the next blog of this series, we’ll delve into how AI is transforming telecoms – from predictive maintenance and fraud detection to customer service and beyond. Join us as we uncover why AI is no longer merely a buzzword in telco.