In the fast-changing world of telecommunications, telcos are navigating some exciting yet challenging times with the arrival of 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT) and skyrocketing data volumes. These developments are pushing traditional operational models, driving up costs, and diminishing service quality, which is directly impacting revenue growth and customer satisfaction, while putting pressure on telcos to rethink how they manage networks.
To stay competitive, telcos must integrate Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps) into network management to enable automated operations, enhance decision-making through real-time insights, and allow for more efficient network management. This shift towards intelligent automation is not just an upgrade, it is a strategic necessity.
While there are several tools and processes available in the market, leading telcos consistently rely on TM Forum, a global industry association for their trusted standards and APIs to drive transformation for communications service providers. By aligning with TM Forum’s proven frameworks, organizations go beyond adopting technology and embracing interoperability, agility, and industry-wide innovation.
As one of the top 1% of organizations with the most extensive TM Forum technology trained and certified experts and a partnership of more than two decades, CGI brings deep expertise in helping telcos apply these standards effectively as part of their transformation journey. In this blog, we explore how AIOps with TM Forum APIs can effectively enhance event management and pave the way for self-optimizing networks that drive operational efficiency and superior customer experiences.
Embracing AIOps in the age of 5G and IoT: Why now?
Insights from our annual global proprietary research, Voice of Our Clients (VOC), which is based on in-depth discussion with business and IT executives, indicate that telecom executives are looking to balance risk and growth opportunities with AI, digital transformation and business model innovation. The VOC findings further show that AI is driving operational transformation, with 66% of executives planning to use GenAI to improve production and operations. Telecom operators are increasingly relying on AIOps to streamline issue resolution, stay ahead of network problems, deliver a responsive experience for their customers, and create self-optimizing networks (SON) through real-time automation and intelligence.
This focus of AIOps reflects the industry’s transition from legacy siloed IT and network operations, reactive service models, to proactive, AI-driven operations to enhance network performance and meet the needs of consumers and businesses.
Advancing AI-driven digital transformation: From reactive to proactive network operations
The evolution of telecom organizations towards agile, self-optimizing networks is being shaped by the integration of AIOps and automation. This allows operators to move from reactive to proactive operational models, offering enhanced Service Level Agreements (SLAs), faster incident recovery and stronger network stability. Furthermore, leveraging TM Forum APIs facilitates seamless interoperability enables better integration and communication between various network components and systems.
Looking ahead, the next phase of AIOps transformation involves adopting agent-based architectures. The award-winning agentic AI-based architecture, Agent Fabric Catalyst, powered by an intelligent network operations accelerator developed by CGI, demonstrates the value of a solution where multiple specialized AI agents collaborate, sharing context in real-time to manage network operations seamlessly. By moving away from monolithic solutions, telcos can create a flexible ecosystem of AI agents that quickly adapt to change, ensuring faster recovery times, optimized network performance, and enhanced customer experiences.
Integrating TM Forum APIs will significantly enhance real-time insights and automation, resulting in improved network visibility, analytics and security, and supporting the transition to self-optimizing networks (SON).
Overcoming AIOps challenges: A blueprint to maximizing ROI and scalability for telco transformation
While AIOps offers significant benefits, telcos must address implementation challenges including:
- Data integration complexity
- Shortage of AI-skilled personnel
- Pressure to realize ROI
A practical approach to managing these challenges is by adopting modular AI agents, similar to the Agent Fabric approach. This enables an incremental integration of intelligent network operations, allowing organizations to scale gradually without major disruption. This also supports more tailored AIOps solutions that align with business priorities.
In one case, one of our telecom clients achieved a remarkable 45% reduction in their Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) after incrementally introducing AIOps-driven incident management. This led to improved service continuity, customer experience and stronger brand loyalty.
Next steps: Strategy to implementation
AIOps is more than a technology upgrade, it is becoming a strategic cornerstone for telcos navigating complex, modern network environments. By leveraging artificial intelligence and automation, telcos can proactively manage their networks, enhance performance and resolve issues faster while delivering exceptional service.
As the telecom industry evolves with innovations in 5G and IoT, AIOps will be key in helping telcos future-proof their operations. CGI’s industry collaboration in TM Forum Catalysts, such as the Agent Fabric initiative, reflects our commitment to helping clients adopt intelligent, scalable solutions that deliver tangible business results.
For telcos embarking on or scaling their AIOps journey, the path forward begins with:
- Assessing existing infrastructure
- Defining clear business and operational objectives
- Setting up robust data governance and management systems
CGI can help in the journey and end-to-end lifecycle of AI implementation for network use cases, including event correlation, anomaly detection, incident resolution and predictive analytics.
Contact us to explore how AIOps can help your organization build more resilient and agile network operations.
About this author
Veera Raghavulu N Puppala (Raghav)
Director Consulting Expert – Asia Pacific
With over 25 years of experience in IT and consulting, Raghav has led complex transformation programs across the telecommunications industry. At CGI, he has been instrumental in delivering strategic initiatives that combine enterprise architecture, operational leadership, and emerging technologies to address critical business challenges.
