Over the years, artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly transformed the digital landscape, offering unprecedented opportunities to enhance efficiency, scalability, and security.
According to a study by global networking systems and software provider, Ciena, AI is poised to enhance network operational efficiency by 40% or more, reflecting AI’s transformative potential to reshape network management. This will significantly enable telecom operators to meet the growing demands of an increasingly connected world.
As we navigate network intricacies, AI adoption promises to revolutionize network operations. By leveraging intelligent automation and predictive capabilities, enterprises can attain greater efficiency while scaling.
Read About How AI is Reshaping Network Observability and Operations
The Future of Network Management
Integrating AI into network operations presents both an opportunity and a challenge. The complexity of modern networks has increased due to the growing cloud adoption, the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and the demand for higher bandwidth.
AI has emerged as a key player in ensuring efficiency, scalability, and security while addressing issues by automating network functions including traffic monitoring, resource allocation, and predictive maintenance. Through predictive analytics, AI can analyze vast amounts of real-time data, identifying patterns that signal potential failures.
During LEAP 2025, Telecom Review spoke with Roque Lozano, Senior Vice President of Network Infrastructure MEA at Nokia, to explore the evolution of network management. He explained that across the Middle East and Africa, countries are making significant investments in digital research, with AI-driven digital decision-making becoming increasingly vital in network management.
This shift is only possible with a highly reliable and adaptable network—one that can dynamically redistribute workloads based on service-level agreements (SLAs), demand fluctuations, traffic conditions, and network status.
Typically, traditional network monitoring relies on diagnosing the problem after the impact has occurred. With AI, network systems become self-aware, enabling the prediction of potential failures such as service disruptions. This feature will significantly speed up the troubleshooting process and enhance security.
By 2025, AI-driven automation is projected to reduce operational expenditures (OpEx) by up to 40% and increase return on investment (ROI) by 10-15%, according to global management consulting firm, Oliver Wyman. Moreover, Gartner expects that AI will evolve from a tool to a key player in network management, with a prediction that 60% of companies will adopt AI-enabled predictive automation across all domains. This data indicates the growing importance of AI in global business operations.
Also Read: Nokia’s New AI-Powered Services Designed to Simplify Network Operations
Navigating the Challenges in Network Operations
Managing network operations has become increasingly challenging as networks have become more complex. Legacy systems often lack compatibility with advanced AI technologies, requiring substantial infrastructure upgrades. The large volumes of data processed by AI models can strain existing systems. This will also demand robust data governance frameworks to ensure accuracy and security.
Ned Taleb, Co-founder and CEO, Reailize, shared that the 5G ecosystem inherently presents compounding challenges as it is vast, particularly as the industry transitions from VoLTE to VoNR. Hence, Reailize is pursuing AI-enabled network operations and solutions within the 5G ecosystem.
Our focus lies in automated network diagnostics, which is not only applicable in labs but, more importantly, in live operations. We have developed an innovative approach that enables telcos to achieve quick wins with little integration effort by leveraging sophisticated AI algorithms and continuous learning models.
Moreover, cybersecurity remains a critical concern. AI’s integration with network operations has paved the way for new attacks to surface, making security a necessity in the network landscape.
Network performance can be significantly impacted when network operations experience congestion, packet loss, and downtime issues. Delays in data transmissions can disrupt real-time applications while packet loss and downtime can further exacerbate network problems.
The lack of skilled professionals in the field continues to pose a hurdle in maintaining the efficiency and reliability of network operations. Organizations are actively looking for professionals with specific technological skill sets to match the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Read More: AI Integration: UAE Embraces Advanced Business Operations
Enhancing Efficiency in Network Operations
The efficiency of network operations has become a critical focus for enterprises and organizations worldwide. This has prompted technology companies to explore the power of agentic AI to improve network operations.
NVIDIA and its partners are developing new large telco models (LTMs) and AI agents custom-built for the telco industry using NVIDIA NIM and NeMo microservices within the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software platform. NVIDIA’s AI agents are poised to automate complex decision-making workflows, enhance network performance and operational efficiency, and increase employee productivity. SoftBank and Tech Mahindra have followed, building new LTMs and AI agents.
Cisco has launched various AI-powered solutions to enhance network operations, including the Cisco Meraki platform, Cisco Catalyst Center, and Cisco ThousandEyes. These networking solutions simplify operations, improve support, decrease costs, and mitigate the information and technology (IT) skills gap. In February 2025, Cisco’s AI-powered, cloud-managed networking platform, Meraki for Government, achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) authorization. This innovative solution, tailored for the United States public sector, helps agencies maintain and enhance network reliability and security, optimize network performance, and increase efficiencies for IT staff.
Meanwhile, Amazon Web Services (AWS) utilizes generative AI (GenAI) to streamline network and service lifecycle management. In collaboration with Amdocs, AWS has developed a solution that transforms network operations. Amdocs Intelligent OSS cloud-native solutions harness the capabilities of AWS’s cloud to simplify operations. This joint solution can detect anomalies and identify patterns for immediate remediation.
In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review, Mikko Lavanti, SVP, Mobile Networks, Nokia MEA, explained that Nokia has introduced AI into many of its solutions, also embedding AI into its market-leading MantaRay platform, which facilitates network optimization and automation.
Last year, at Hajj, we were very proud to announce the successful deployment of our MantaRay Cognitive SON—our AI-powered, self-organizing networks solution—into stc Group’s commercial network. This leading platform for network optimization and automation displayed impressive results during the event and significantly improved network quality autonomously, reducing manual intervention and cost while maintaining best-in-class performances.
As organizations continue to explore innovative technologies for network optimization, the focus remains on establishing smarter and more resilient networks. Embracing the power of AI-driven networks can catapult businesses to new heights.
Read: Evolving More Autonomous and Optimized Operations
AI’s Potential is Limitless
AI’s transformative power is reshaping network operations globally, simplifying complex processes, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring reliability. From automating repetitive tasks to enabling real-time decision-making, AI has become an indispensable icon in the modern digital landscape.
According to Saleem Alblooshi, CTO, du, “The next wave of traffic growth will be powered by AI.”
We’re forecasting a six-fold increase in traffic, with 33% of it being AI-driven. Our role is two-fold: expand the network to accommodate this surge and adopt AI to make the network itself smarter.
As we navigate an increasingly interconnected world, the integration of AI into network operations is not just an option but a necessity. The proliferation of upcoming technologies will create complex networks, making traditional methods insufficient.
Companies must embrace AI-enhanced network operations to unlock the full potential of their networks while delivering exceptional user experiences.
Read More:
Networks for AI: Telecoms Networks Facing the Boom of Artificial Intelligence Uses
New Cloud Tools From Cisco for Networking, Security and Operations
Artificial Intelligence: How to Leverage the Opportunities and Avoid the Pitfalls
