AI-driven automated operations require continuous, high-quality data, making horizontal telco clouds a critical priority for modern telecom carriers.
Managing telecom networks is becoming increasingly complex. Operators are reworking infrastructure to adopt platform-based models that mirror practices across the broader technology industry.
Franz Seiser, Tribe Head of T-DAT (Technology, Development, and Architecture Team) at Deutsche Telekom, says the company is replacing traditional vertical silos with horizontal layers to construct its telco cloud. The resulting infrastructure still delivers fully 3GPP-compliant networks, but the way those networks are produced and operated is fundamentally different.
Powering AI and automated operations with real-time data
AI depends on large volumes of reliable, timely information. Legacy vertical systems often limit collection frequency, sometimes producing only a single data point every five minutes. Seiser points out that such low-frequency telemetry cannot adequately support AI-driven automation. Modern network automation needs continuous, real-time data generated across all components.
Implementing a horizontal telco cloud platform establishes a persistent data pipeline and directly enhances business resilience. Improvements to the shared platform benefit every connected application instantly. A shared-resource approach enables system-wide optimisations, avoiding the fragmentation and inefficiencies of isolated silos.
Building this environment involves separating deployments into three distinct tiers: infrastructure, application, and automation. Crucially, automation must be integrated from the outset rather than added as an afterthought. This design decision is a major differentiator for service stability, security, and operational efficiency.
Achieving this model requires significant changes in how operators work with their suppliers. Vendors that once provided complete end-to-end vertical stacks are now asked to deliver specific components. This shift necessitates careful negotiations and clear integration expectations to ensure the chosen elements interoperate smoothly.
Nokia, one of Deutsche Telekom’s suppliers, has adapted its portfolio to be fully cloud-native to participate in these new architectures. Jean Lawrence from Nokia describes the shared platform approach as a blueprint for the industry, yielding a more IT-centric and agile network design.
Overcoming internal cultural barriers to build horizontal telco clouds
Beyond technical challenges, dismantling vertical silos requires extensive organizational change. Historically, dedicated teams owned entire vertical stacks and managed everything from hardware to vendor relationships. Employees must now transition to platform-focused teams operating under new governance models.
Seiser observes that staff naturally focused on perfecting their specific domains in the past. “They optimised, of course, their silo. But as we all know, local optimums are not the global optimums,” he explains, emphasizing the need to shift perspective from local improvements to system-wide benefits.
To secure long-term return on investment and ensure compliance, leadership must enforce new architectural rules without exceptions. Seiser advises leaders to stick firmly to their plan: “Don’t compromise because as soon as you start with the first compromise … the fifth is coming, and then you are in a not-so-easy to manage environment.”
A full commitment to the horizontal telco cloud model lays the groundwork for advanced automation, improved operational resilience, and new revenue opportunities enabled by AI-capable networks.
See also: How Indosat is scaling AI-RAN across its network
Interested in learning more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Explore the AI & Big Data Expo, held in Amsterdam, California, and London. The event is part of TechEx and runs alongside other major technology gatherings, including IoT Tech Expo and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.
Telecoms content provided by TechForge Media. Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars through TechForge Media’s events program.