In the past, suggesting that communication service providers (CSPs) should structure their operations like an e-commerce retailer such as Amazon would have seemed unlikely. The industries differ, yet customer expectations have converged: today’s users expect a seamless, efficient experience comparable to leading online retailers. With the arrival of 5G and the automation it enables, CSPs are now in a position to meet those expectations. To do so, they must adopt automation throughout their operations and become “automation-native.”
Becoming “automation-native”
As many consumer markets approach saturation, the next wave of digital opportunity lies in boosting productivity and innovation for enterprises and industry. Capturing this opportunity requires a new operational control point—one that delivers business agility, enables new business models, and fosters an automation-native culture across the organization.
Rather than focusing solely on connectivity, CSPs can pursue ecosystem-led value propositions enabled by 5G. This shift turns networks into platforms that third parties can leverage, making a new operations control point critical for enabling those ecosystem-driven business models.
Current operational systems—largely static and open-loop—aren’t designed for the demands of “digital time,” where decisions and actions must happen in the moment. Operating effectively in this environment requires intelligent, on-demand closed-loop processes that manage the full lifecycle of digital services across software-defined networks.
Limitless applications
To unlock dynamic innovation, companies must unify orchestration and assurance, and remove the artificial constraints of service design, rigid data models, and fixed topologies. Progress will be incremental, but building these capabilities will allow CSPs to construct end-to-end service lifecycle processes that support far more sophisticated services than are feasible today.
For example, a CSP could dedicate a 5G network “slice” to a gaming company, enabling low-latency, high-availability gameplay for that company’s subscribers. Automated operations would continuously monitor the slice’s performance, ensuring that service-level agreements (SLAs) are met and making real-time adjustments when necessary.
On the industrial side, a CSP could allocate network resources to a robotics provider that automates factory processes. Dynamic operational controls would ensure the robotics platform performs reliably in the field, adjusting network parameters and resources as conditions change.
There are also compelling consumer use cases. If the connected-home vision matures, it will create further opportunities for CSPs to deliver automated, managed services that enhance convenience, security, and energy efficiency for households.
Networks of the Future
Embedding automation into operations and enabling dynamic innovation will require service providers to rethink both network architecture and digital platforms.
Automation-native operations depend on an architecture that integrates solutions, software, and services to support new business models not only for CSPs but also for third-party enterprises that will incorporate network capabilities into their offerings. A zero-touch network featuring end-to-end service automation and autonomous programmable networking represents a forward-looking vision for dynamic operations, one that 5G makes achievable.
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