Industry
Communications, Media and Information Services
Connect. Curate. Comprehend: Unlocking Value Beyond Boundaries
Highlights
- Communication service providers (CSPs) with over USD $5bn in revenues are the most likely to report being fully autonomous across multiple domains.
- Artificial intelligence is considered the primary enabler for autonomous operations (AO) by 64% of CSPs, but it also presents challenges. Data management is a key concern, particularly in terms of preparing, integrating and analyzing data that is fit-for-purpose for AI.
- The complex and siloed nature of CSP operations underlies many of the challenges faced in transitioning to AO. Most CSPs are prioritizing the structural and process realignment of their infrastructure, including network, cloud services and operations.
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Autonomous operations
Considered the lynchpin to a new wave of industry growth, AO can help telcos increase network resilience, improve customer experience, and realize benefits from the investments made in 5G.
In September 2023, the shift to AO gained significant momentum when the industry alliance, TM Forum, launched the Autonomous Network (AN) manifesto and 31 telco heavyweights committed to achieving highly autonomous (or Level 4 per the TM Forum’s AN Evaluation Methodology ) by the end of 2025. Yet across the industry, progress to AO is mixed, with the TM Forum finding that most operators are at Level 1 or 2 in their AO maturity, which indicates essentially manual operations with some automation.
To understand how operators are progressing with their AO efforts, TCS collaborated with Heavy Reading to survey 107 CSPs worldwide to determine key focus areas in their AO transformation. The survey delved into the key enablers and barriers to automation and sought insights into how carriers are structurally realigning operations to meet their AO goals.
Edge IP & Wireless Tech
60% of CSPs have committed to Level 3 AO by 2028, but work remains to be done in driving progress.
Our findings show that just 48% have already participated in an Autonomous Network Maturity Level Assessment, while 33% plan to do so by mid-2026, which leaves 20% without a current plan.
To date, most progress has been made with the transformation of Edge IP and Fixed Wireless Networks. 49% and 48% of the 51 respondents who had undertaken maturity level assessments reported that they were at Level 4 or Level 5 for Edge IP and Fixed Wireless Networks, respectively. Conversely, Fibre Networks was the domain where most respondents (40%) reported still being at Level 1 or 2.
AI – key enabler for AO
AI technology and tools were the leading enabler for AO, with 64% of respondents selecting it as one of their top two enablers.
AI, together with machine learning (ML), is essential for developing capabilities such as predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, and traffic forecasting. However, it also presents challenges, particularly in terms of data. When asked about AI preparedness from a data perspective, respondents expressed confidence in their data acquisition and storage capabilities but were less certain in other areas such as data integration, preparation, analysis and governance. Respondents displayed the least confidence in their metadata management – managing data about data – capabilities, with just 2% awarding themselves a top ranking in this area.
Overcoming barriers to AO
When it comes to the barriers of AO, the picture is far less clear-cut. When asked to select the top three barriers, the findings were spread across 10 different options.
Just 20 percentage points separated the barrier choices, indicating that CSPs are encountering several hurdles, but the situation varies considerably between operators.
The cost of implementation was most likely to top the list, selected in 39% of cases. After all, the AO transformation is not a simple undertaking and represents a considerable outlay, while the return on investment is measured in years. It was closely followed by legacy systems and infrastructure constraints (38%), reflecting the fact that many operators are built on decades-old systems, which are expensive to upgrade.
Similarly, skill shortages were cited as a barrier by 38%. The AO shift requires cultural change and new skills. AI alone necessitates highly specialized skills such as data science and advanced analytics, and there is significant competition for appropriately qualified individuals. Many CSPs, however, are turning to third parties to expand their AI ecosystem, with 57% stating they are partnering with cloud specialists for AI capabilities and 52% working with Telco/Network Equipment Manufacturers (TEMs).
Infra alignment
Often, the challenges faced by CSPs in moving to AO can be traced back to the complex and siloed nature of their current operations.
Therefore, one of the first tasks of any transformation project is to ensure better integration between the multiple overlay networks, operational and business support systems, data lakes, supply chains, and regulations. When asked which areas would benefit most from structural realignment, respondents were predominantly focused on improving infrastructure, with 61% stating that network, IT and cloud would benefit from some convergence. Customer experience and support were also considered ripe for change by 52% of respondents, reflecting the importance of seamless services across all touchpoints. With many CSPs grappling with large volumes of siloed data, it was no surprise to see Data & Analytics placed third in structural realignment priorities, selected in 48% of cases.
Threshold of AO
CSPs recognize the power of AO and the importance of AI in achieving greater automation.
However, they are also grappling with the complexity of their current operations, and the need to improve data management so that data resources can support AI initiatives. Notably, for an industry traditionally known for its resistance to accessing external support, CSPs are increasingly turning to technology specialists to support them in their efforts to deploy AI and chart their course towards fully autonomous operations.
To access the full report, click here: Plotting a course toward autonomous operations
About the survey
The Heavy Reading Survey was conducted in March 2025 to provide a snapshot of CSPs progress in AO at the end of Q1, 2025. 107 responses were collected from a range of operators around the globe, ranging in size from sub $50m in annual revenues to $5bn plus. 61% of the respondents were employed in technical networking roles, 19% in management, finance, and marketing, 13% in IT, data center and cloud domain roles, and 6% in security operations.