Telecom Industry Embraces AI and Cloud for Enhanced Network Performance and Customer Experience

Telecoms Get a 'Brain' Upgrade with AI and Cloud

Network performance monitoring, predictive maintenance, and service ticket automation are among the leading AI use cases. The telecom industry is constantly evolving, with the rise of 5G, exponential data growth, and changing customer expectations. Major providers like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel in India, or global players like Verizon, are embracing AI and cloud technologies to scale their operations. These innovations help build more robust networks and improve service delivery in an increasingly complex and fast-paced market. IBM recently published a report in partnership with GSMA Intelligence to highlight how telecoms can and are using cloud and AI to grow. Key insights from the report include examples from some major telecom players, showcasing how these technologies use cloud and AI to grow and improve efficiency. Reliance Jio, an Indian telecommunications company, has developed its own AI platform, Jio Brain, to optimise network operations. Aayush Bhatnagar, senior vice president of Jio Platforms at Reliance Jio, explained, "Our proprietary AI platform, Jio Brain, operates across three domains: real-time AI for network optimisation, near real-time AI for IT processes, and non-real-time AI for data-driven decisions." Communications service providers (CSPs) are increasingly adopting AI to optimise network performance, enhance efficiency, and drive innovation. Network performance monitoring, predictive maintenance, and service ticket automation are among the leading AI use cases. While generative AI is still emerging, its potential in network planning and security management is being actively explored. According to the report, when using AI for proactive root cause analysis, Jio network can prevent network-related mishaps before they occur, resulting in reduced operating expenses. Moreover, their AI-driven agent API features personalised customer experience to enhance retention and loyalty. Moreover, the energy consumption across their radio networks is optimised with the help of Jio Brain. Similarly, Deutsche Telekom (DT), a German telecommunications company, has tried its hands at generative AI. Ahmed Hafez, VP technology strategy at DT, explained that GenAI powers chatbots for resolving queries, coding assistants in network and IT development. Currently, all kinds of CSPs, big or small, use AI to a great extent. The report states that the tech front-runners use generative AI more than traditional AI, and in the case of their peers, the latter sees a dominant usage. For network performance monitoring, spam management, network planning, service ticket automation, and more, traditional AI is still the top choice. Moreover, for network planning, the use of generative AI is being explored more than usual. As per the report, a hybrid cloud approach, combining on-premises infrastructure, private cloud, public cloud, and edge computing, is commonly adopted. While public cloud offers cost benefits, concerns about performance, security, and compliance remain. Abhishek Biswal, chief business officer of digital services at Bharti Airtel, mentioned, "Cloudification offers clear benefits -- scalability, faster infrastructure deployment, and better insights with lower investments -- making accelerated investment in this space inevitable." The report also highlighted that CSPs have different choices when it comes to the type of cloud platform -- public or private. "Our network is purpose-built to deliver consistently high performance...The cost reductions of public cloud are not on par with the reliability and operational agility of the private cloud," Srinivasa Kalapala, senior vice president of technology and product development at Verizon in the US, said. At the same time, the report further states, "Smaller CSPs (with revenue ranges from $10 million to $100 million) are embracing public cloud, where they run 44% of their network functions, potentially reflecting their priority for agility and buy-versusbuild resource strategies over the risks on the minds of larger CSPs." Google Cloud shared insights about their AI-driven initiatives for the telecom partners they worked with. They emphasised that the companies need to move their data to one place to use AI effectively. Tools like BigQuery and Looker by Google facilitate consolidating data by creating scalable data lakes for analysis. This, combined with Google's AI infrastructure, allows CSPs to extract actionable insights, personalise experiences, and develop new services. DNA, part of Telenor, and Vodafone Italy are examples of CSPs using Google Cloud to modernise their data architecture and unlock the potential of AI. As Shyam Mardikar, president and group CTO of mobility at Reliance Jio, aptly said, "It's not just about adopting cloud or AI -- it's about using this architecture to serve differently while rethinking how we operate and engage with customers." For customers, it may not matter what the companies do behind the scenes. However, if AI and Cloud help make things more robust, and seamless for both customers and the workers in the telecom industry, it is a win-win situation.

Telecom and AI: The Future of Smart Networks and Customer Experience

The telecom sector is no stranger to technical innovation; it has continually evolved to meet increased expectations for improved connection and service quality. However, when data consumption surged due to the growing number of connected devices and bandwidth-intensive applications, telecom networks encountered considerable challenges. Managing massive amounts of consumer data and ensuring network efficiency while delivering constant and high-quality service became increasingly difficult. These challenges prompted the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformational solution.