Nokia at DTW24: We empower the AI-driven Digital Service Provider

It’s our first week back in the office after DTW24, and I keep thinking about the energy and interactions at this outstanding show. TM Forum has been hosting DTW for years now, and the show’s roots are in the OSS/BSS space. However, as we’re seeing in our industry, the discussions, priorities, and collaboration at DTW are evolving past just OSS/BSS into the dynamic areas of autonomous networks, automation, data, open APIs, and AI, to include (of course), GenAI. Nokia Cloud and Network Services (CNS) was there to showcase our thought leadership and commercial solutions across these strategic domains, and I’m proud to say we had one of our best years yet. With that in mind, allow me to share some highlights from my week in Copenhagen.?

A few initial thoughts?

As I said earlier, it’s only the first full week back to the grind after a whirlwind event. I’ve yet to crystallize these thoughts further, but I want to share some initial impressions from #DTW24. I hope these spark some thoughts of your own, and that you reach out to talk more. Challenge me and tell me what you took from the show or where you see our industry moving. Nokia CNS is innovative and adaptable. Sense, Think, Act. It’s not just for your network; we’re ready to do the same based on your input.???

• The industry is moving towards a higher value stack for CSPs. There's a strong focus on orchestration, AI-driven analytics, and programmability for openness. This aligns well with the solutions and strategy we communicated. It's no longer enough to simply provide network connectivity; it hasn’t been for a while. CSPs need to offer a platform that empowers businesses and individuals to thrive in this expanding ecosystem.?

• AI-driven DSPs will be an integral part of the ecosystem. Discussions revolved around using both traditional and generative AI, not just for customer experience and network optimization, but also for creating new value streams. It's exciting to see the potential for AI to transform the industry in so many ways. From personalizing network experiences to identifying and mitigating potential security threats, AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we operate and manage networks.?

• TM Forum's Ten100 initiative is a great platform for collaboration. Being part of this forum, which brings together top CxOs, CTOs, and CIOs across the industry, allowed for insightful discussions on the future of telecom. Collaboration is critical to accelerating innovation and overcoming industry challenges. By sharing best practices and working together, CSPs and technology providers can unlock the full potential of AI and autonomous networks.?

• Collaboration is Everything. The momentum building between Nokia and innovation disruptors like Nvidia and Google is a positive sign. The industry is coming together, with both established players and new entrants driving change. This collaborative approach fosters a healthy ecosystem where innovation can flourish.?

Grateful for customer-led interactions?

I could start talking about our packed demos, our speaking engagements, or our TM Forum Excellence Award win in GenAI…but I’ll save those for later. My colleagues and I are more than grateful for these opportunities to demonstrate our commitment to customers…and that’s just it. The most critical time spent at the show was with our customers, partners, and influencers. In today's digital age, face-to-face interaction may seem a bit old-fashioned, but meeting with our key stakeholders is of utmost importance to those of us in CNS. It's during these intense conversations that we gather invaluable insights specific to each nuanced customer; we strive to foster trust and a deep understanding of the growing ecosystem’s needs. In turn, this knowledge fuels innovation that allows us to build and customize services and solutions. This year, each conversation I engaged in confirmed our technology strategy to deliver high value across AI-based automation, data-driven analytics, and programmability for openness – fundamental pillars needed to reach Autonomous Networks that sense, think, and act.??

GenAI: We talk the talk?

I had the honor of presenting how we believe Traditional AI and GenAI, combined, will revolutionize operations, enable adaptive responses, and drive operational excellence – not only for customer experience and network optimization but also for new value creation.??

I’ll save the nuts and bolts of our GenAI strategy for upcoming customer discussions, but suffice it to say that at a high level, our GenAI approach is built on three pillars:??

1. A vast knowledge source that leverages Nokia's unparalleled industry expertise across network planning, design, operation, deployment, and customer care??

1. A state-of-the-art Large Language Model (LLM) operations system to maximize the potential of these knowledge sources??

1. Domain-driven fine-tuning to ensure precise and relevant AI outputs?

We talk the talk and walk the walk: It’s exciting to share that, along with China Mobile, we won the TM Forum Excellence Award for Excellence in AI Innovation. By leveraging the LangChain framework for building applications based on LLMs, along with TM Forum's resources, we've been able to localize knowledge centers for diverse use cases. This approach not only accelerates AI adoption but also reduces risks and costs. For China Mobile, it's also led to reduced operational expenses and fueled business growth. It's a win-win for both companies!?

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We put the customer at the heart of our innovation and investment, especially in emerging technologies. This collaborative effort is just one of many success stories we can share with you in the coming months. ?

Analysts respond to our CNS vision and strategy?

We kicked off DTW hosting a remarkable crew of industry analysts. Hot off the press are some reviews like “Great to hear Nokia’s GenAI strategy, focus, and progress this year, concrete and solid” and “It’s surprising how fast Nokia has sped up on this, with an approach much more realistic than other proposals.” Nokia’s IAR team is instrumental in gathering insightful minds and facilitating thoughtful conversations. And we appreciate our analysts’ feedback more than we can express. There’s always room to learn and grow, and it’s affirming to hear we’re on the right track.??

The Nokia CNS Booth Experience: AVA Autonomous Operations??

Then it was time to hit the show floor. Nokia’s immersive booth wasn’t a stand…it was an experience. Visitors were greeted by our AVA Autonomous Operations message, animated and colorful. Our concept is simple and concise: With our technical innovation and deep networking knowledge, we help our customers build networks that can sense with observability, think with AI and analytics, and act with closed-loop automation. We empower the AI-driven CSP.??

Through live demonstrations manned by our Nokia Experts, visitors saw how our AI and automation software portfolios facilitate comprehensive data collection and analysis, providing a holistic view of the network's health. AI-driven security demos caught quite some buzz with conversational aspects of chatbots with Security prediction and correction.? This data feeds into cutting-edge AI that can detect anomalies, predict bottlenecks, and make intelligent decisions in real time. Closed-loop automation empowers the network to autonomously implement solutions and continuously learn for ongoing improvement. There was a buzz in the booth that was palpable…perhaps even stronger than last year when we announced our new Branding.???

Nokia CNS Thought Leadership: Actions Speak Louder Than Words?

I was honored to join my Nokia CNS peers to share our vision on stage and with customers throughout the week. Jean Lawrence, our VP of Marketing & Communications, gave a deep dive into building autonomous networks, discussing AI adoption, designing operational blueprints, and leveraging the power of intent-based systems. Building autonomous networks is more than just throwing AI at the problem; it requires a strategic and well-defined approach.??

Nitin Mishra, Lead Consultant for Cloud and Automation, led another interesting session. He explored the potential of TM Forum's Open Digital Architecture (ODA) and how it can streamline operations, enhance service reliability, and create new revenue streams.??

We also highlighted the potential of TM Forum Open APIs in accelerating operational innovation. Atul Purohit, Head of Technology for CNS Europe, led a fireside chat about how Open APIs can transform the BSS ecosystem, unlock Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) opportunities, and foster collaboration across industries. If you ask me, an open and collaborative approach is the way forward.?

Our GBC sales leaders are integral to the connections we made and the conversations we had at DTW. For example, Vishal Singh and Erez Sverdlov fostered several customer discussions over the week, and the insights they learned will continue to impact our strategy going into the second half of this year.??

Last Thoughts?

Overall, my experience at DTW24 was inspiring. Autonomous Networks are no longer science fiction; they're the future, and Nokia is at the forefront of this revolution. With our automation software, AVA solutions, GenAI, and commitment to open standards, we’re helping AI-powered CSPs build networks that sense, think, and act. Today and tomorrow.??

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