Lunch briefing: From Cloud-Native to Autonomous: Building the Foundation for AI-Driven Telco Networks

Lunch briefing

Please note this session is by invitation only. 

Chair: Sanjay Mewada, Analyst & Chief Research Officer, Recon Analytics

Autonomous networks are moving from vision to implementation. For service providers, success depends not only on adopting AI, but on creating the operational, data and technology foundations needed to support greater levels of automation across increasingly complex network environments.

This lunch briefing will explore what it takes to turn autonomous network ambitions into measurable operational outcomes. Industry experts from Everpure, Nokia and Red Hat will discuss the practical challenges operators face as they scale cloud-native network functions, introduce AI-driven capabilities and work towards closed-loop operations. The conversation will examine how CSPs are addressing issues such as operational silos, data readiness, reliability, orchestration and automation, while identifying the lessons learned from real-world deployments.

Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of the decisions, capabilities and organisational changes required to progress towards more autonomous network operations.

Key Takeaways

• Understand the foundational capabilities required to support autonomous network operations, including cloud-native architectures, automation frameworks and data readiness.
• Learn where leading operators are prioritising automation today, and which use cases are delivering measurable operational improvements.
• Explore the practical barriers to scaling AI and automation across network operations, including integration, governance and organisational silos.
• Understand how closed-loop operations are being implemented in real-world environments and what is needed to move from isolated pilots to broader adoption.
• Identify the role of data quality, observability and operational insight in enabling trusted, automated decision-making.
• Gain practical guidance on how to assess your organisation's current maturity and define the next steps on the journey towards autonomous networks. 

Sean Schneyer, Chief Telecom Architect, Everpure
Sachin Rathee, AI Specialist, Red Hat