On the first day of DTW24 (Digital Transformation World) hosted by TM Forum, Huawei, as a vendor representative, shared key outcomes of its Autonomous Network level(ANL) evaluation pilot study as well as valuable insights regarding the subsequent formal evaluation and suggestions for enhancing this high-stability standard. Huawei won a Certificate of Achievement in recognition of its contributions to the ANL evaluation pilot study. In the summit, standards representatives and experts from TM Forum, Telefonica, Globe, Elisa, Detecon, and Huawei gathered around to share and discuss the practical experience and evolution direction of ANL evaluation, drawing analysts, customers, friends from the media, and over 100 carriers. This summit centered on key topics such as ANL evaluation values, pilot evaluation scenarios and results, sharing of high-stability practical experiences and next move of carriers, aiming to prosper the autonomous core network, expedite network intelligence, and fortify the core network stability and reliability.
Upon the opening ceremony, Andy Tiller, EVP, Member Products &Services of TM Forum highlighted the importance and significance of ANL evaluation. He pointed out that level evaluation, as an important ANL standard, can help carriers define their positions in the industry, thereby making precise development strategies. In this phase, each domain emphasizes distinct evaluation priorities. In the core network, network stability draws the most attentions. For example, fast recovery and service continuity are the top priorities upon unexpected network faults or sudden traffic surges. Thus, the ANL evaluation survey is formed under the basis of the high-stability network architecture, focusing on four dimensions: perception, analysis, decision-making, and execution, and covering the network reliability throughout the lifecycle of planning, development, maintenance, optimization, and operation.
Fernando Camacho, responsible for the evaluation, introduced the background, objective, implementation, and key outcomes of the evaluation for pilot projects. He mentioned that these projects can well verify whether ANL evaluation is feasible and effective, providing valuable insights and guidance for the industry. He also called on more industry partners to take a part in autonomous core network level evaluation and jointly promote the high-stability standards on the core network. At last, he announced the scoring results. According to data from 10 prominent carriers, the average score for fault management is L2.54 on the core network, while its basic stability part has already achieved an average score of L3 (Conditional Autonomous Network). The next phase of evaluation is scheduled by TM Forum in September 2024, with results expected to be announced at DTWA in November.
Representatives of carriers, third-party evaluation companies, and vendors also extended discussions in the panel, sharing their experiences learned from the ANL evaluation as well as targeted solutions and suggestions about known issues. James Lim, VP of Globe Telecom Core Network, said, "Globe has built a leading 5G and all-cloud core network. The core network high-stability evaluation is of great significance to our core network strategic planning. In the future, we will continue to increase investment in infrastructure construction, improve the high-stability architecture, plan intelligent services, and strengthen the improvement of employees' capabilities in the direction of intelligence, so as to prepare for the early realization of high-level autonomous core network." It is well acknowledged that the evaluation should emphasize on the automation level and the product capability. Given the evaluation fairness, the stakeholders should clarify proof standards for global carriers and invite a third-party team to review the evaluation results provided by carriers to reassure authorities of these results.
At the end, the summit summarized the excellent achievements and issued certificates to carriers and vendors that have made great contributions to the pilot.Huawei's core network won the industry's first pioneer in the ANL evaluation of TM Forum for its active participation in building highly stable networks and applying high-stability standards. Huawei committed to strengthening connections with industry partners, propelling the ANL evaluation towards a higher level, and providing even more intelligent and competitive products and solutions to carriers. TM Forum also expressed that it would continue to focus on the industry trend and promote the application of the ANL evaluation in other fields.
This summit marks a significant milestone in the autonomous core network. Looking ahead, Huawei will continue to increase R&D investment and launch more competitive products and solutions, helping global carriers accelerate their pace towards AN L4 and collectively usher in a new era of intelligent core networks.