Autonomy in practice — Level-4 solutions that scale

Sessions in rooms

In this session, we’ll be shining a spotlight on CSPs which have moved beyond pilots into production-grade Level-4 autonomous networks. Through candid practitioner showcases and hands-on collaboration, we'll explore what actually scales (and what still breaks!) when autonomy meets real-world complexity. 

Chair: Adaora Okeleke, Principal Analyst, Analysys Mason 

11:00 – 11:15
Taking AN level 4 into live operations 

• How CSPs industrialize ANL4 beyond controlled trials 
• Unpacking the enablers for consistency across network domains 
• How teams align processes, platforms, and governance for scale 
• Gaining insights from early adopters navigating live deployment realities 

Afnan Ahmed, Director Network Strategy & Architecture, Telenor 
Ronan Dai, Deputy GM of Service & Data Intelligence Products, ZTE 

11:15 – 11:30
Scaling autonomous networks in live environments: From cloud-network convergence to experience assurance 

• Embedding autonomy across RAN, transport, and core in high-density, multi-service environments  
• Leveraging integrated cloud, edge, and network resources to enable real-time orchestration and cross-domain coordination  
• Applying AI-driven assurance to detect, predict, and resolve issues across domains before they impact customer experience  
• Enabling differentiated services for industries and regions while maintaining control, consistency, and operational efficiency 

Bing Qian, Deputy Director, Cloud & Network Department, China Telecom

11:30 –12:00 
One platform, full network: Unified AI-driven automation for autonomous networks  

• The path to autonomous networks is well underway — but realizing its full potential requires moving beyond RAN automation towards a truly unified, AI-driven approach that spans the entire network
• Explore how to bridge the gap between RAN and core automation, and what a consolidated platform model means for the industry's shared ambition of network-wide intelligence 
• Examine how AI use cases can drive measurable improvements in network performance and resilience with predictability and observability for differentiated connectivity 
• How to build on the momentum already seen in RAN automation and extend it to Core 

Panelists:
James Crawshaw, Principal Consultant, Omdia 
Rodrigo Correia, Head of Solution Line SMO, Ericsson 
Krishna Prasad Kalluri, Head of Solution & Portfolio Core Network, Ericsson
Richard Kilmurray, Principal Automation Architect, Vodafone

12:00 
Closing remarks

All timings are provisional and may be subject to change.