Nokia: Networks Must Become Autonomous in AI Era

Helsinki – Nokia Oyj has articulated a vision where telecommunication networks must transition from pure automation to broader autonomy, driven by the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). The company asserts that the current AI "supercycle" is fundamentally altering the nature of traffic and the demands placed on networks.

According to Nokia, traditional automation, which has reduced manual effort and accelerated repetitive tasks, is no longer sufficient. AI is not only increasing traffic volumes but also changing traffic dynamics to become more interactive, bursty, and uplink-heavy. Networks are evolving from passive carriers to active hosts and producers of intelligence.

The central question becomes what decisions networks can make autonomously. Nokia defines an autonomous network as a system capable of adapting to changing conditions, resolving unexpected events, and determining the right course of action within defined goals and constraints.

The company justifies the necessity of autonomy by the evolving operational environment of the network, citing three key drivers: pace, scale, and coupling. Network conditions increasingly change faster than human operational cycles, complexity surpasses manual intervention, and the interconnectedness of various systems hinders comprehensive solutions.

Nokia emphasizes that achieving autonomy is not merely about increasing automation but about building a new architecture. Autonomous networks require the ability to understand intent, reason across systems, evaluate trade-offs, and decide on actions, waiting, escalation, or rollback within governed processes. To facilitate this, Nokia is developing a new "operating system" for AI-optimized networks.