{"id":25538,"date":"2025-11-17T10:05:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T15:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/?p=25538"},"modified":"2025-11-17T10:05:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T15:05:56","slug":"agentic-ai-gains-momentum-as-csps-prioritize-autonomous-network-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/ai\/agentic-ai-gains-momentum-as-csps-prioritize-autonomous-network-operations.html","title":{"rendered":"Agentic AI Gains Momentum as CSPs Prioritize Autonomous Network Operations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Forty-one percent of CSPs say agentic AI will have its most meaningful impact on network operations, signaling a shift from customer-facing enhancements to core infrastructure automation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Omdia\u2019s new research highlights how autonomous diagnostics, optimization, and fault resolution are becoming central to future network strategies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Multi-agent collaboration frameworks like MCP and A2A are emerging as critical enablers for scalable, interoperable telecom ecosystems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leading vendors are embedding agentic AI into their platforms, accelerating the move toward automation-driven operations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Analysts recommend that CSPs begin adopting out-of-the-box agentic solutions while building internal expertise to maintain governance and data control.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Telecom operators worldwide are accelerating their automation strategies, and a growing share now see agentic AI as the catalyst that could push networks toward true autonomy. A new report from Omdia finds that 41 percent of communications service providers believe the greatest near-term impact of agentic systems will be in network management, a sign that the industry is preparing for a shift away from manual operations and toward self-optimizing architectures. Omdia\u2019s study, available through <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmcnet.com\/usubmit\/2025\/11\/17\/10291040.htm\">TMCnet<\/a><\/em>, details how the industry is organizing around this turning point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research shows that while 48 percent of CSPs expect agentic AI to show its earliest value in customer experience enhancements, the emphasis on network management reveals deeper structural aspirations. Improving customer service through automated knowledge systems or intelligent assistants remains important, but operators increasingly see the larger gains coming from automating functions that have historically required large teams and specialized expertise. These functions include troubleshooting, congestion response, power optimization, quality-of-service adjustments and intelligent orchestration across hybrid cloud and edge environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Omdia Senior Principal Analyst Roz Roseboro emphasized this point, stating: \u201cWhile customer care is a visible starting point, the 41 percent of CSPs targeting network operations are signaling the real revolution. This shift moves agentic AI from an outward-facing support tool to the core engine of the business, enabling the autonomous, self-healing networks required to manage future service complexity.\u201d Her assessment reflects what many operators acknowledge privately: demand patterns, service diversity, and traffic variability are increasing at a pace that manual processes can no longer keep up with.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/omdia.tech.informa.com\/-\/media\/tech\/staff\/roz_roseboro-450x450_james-crawshaw.png?rev=6a6b8a35595f4ddca1d8b516629b5bbf\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Omdia Senior Principal Analyst Roz Roseboro<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The report frames this moment as part of a broader automation-led transformation. Across the industry, telecom teams have been working for years on intent-based networking, observability systems, closed-loop automation, and AI-driven assurance. Agentic AI represents a new layer that can coordinate, reason, and take action based on system conditions. Rather than relying solely on predefined logic, these systems can evaluate conditions dynamically, collaborate with other agents, and pursue outcome-oriented goals such as restoring service levels or redistributing workloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One area highlighted by Omdia is the growing focus on low-risk, incremental deployment. CSPs are beginning with tightly governed use cases such as root-cause analysis, anomaly detection and automated ticket creation. These early implementations allow operators to understand model behavior, evaluate accuracy, and refine observability and explainability frameworks before moving toward more autonomous control. Omdia notes that operators remain cautiously optimistic, balancing enthusiasm for efficiency gains with the need for safeguards, testing, and governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another important development is the rise of multi-agent collaboration frameworks and protocols including MCP and A2A. These systems are designed to support secure, coordinated exchanges between agents operating on different vendor platforms. The telecom ecosystem, which has always been heterogeneous, stands to benefit from common frameworks that unify how agents share data, request actions, and coordinate workflows. Omdia points out that these interoperability layers are essential for scaling autonomous operations across multi-vendor networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vendor momentum is also accelerating. According to the report, companies such as Amdocs, Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, Salesforce and ServiceNow are already integrating agentic capabilities into their platforms. These enhancements range from intelligent provisioning to automated case handling to dynamic policy enforcement. Each vendor is approaching the shift differently, but all are converging on the idea that AI-driven orchestration, reasoning and remediation will define the next generation of telecom operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study notes that agentic AI is not limited to network functions. Business operations are also expected to evolve as AI agents learn to coordinate workflows across sales, marketing, provisioning and customer relations. By analyzing large pools of operational and customer-behavior data, agentic systems could eventually support revenue-assurance workflows, lifecycle management and predictive demand planning. The research positions these capabilities as a complement to network automation, creating unified intelligence across the operator\u2019s organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Omdia stresses that none of this can progress without strong governance frameworks. Transparency, explainability and data security are top concerns among survey respondents. As agentic systems take on more decision authority, operators want clarity on how actions are determined, what data is used, how conflicts are resolved, and when human approval is required. The report encourages vendors to prioritize flexibility and portability in their agentic AI offerings, enabling CSPs to maintain long-term control even as they outsource components of the technology stack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The analysis also notes the importance of internal expertise. While many initial deployments will rely on vendor-supplied templates and pre-trained models, CSPs will increasingly need in-house teams capable of fine-tuning, auditing and governing agent behavior. Omdia recommends that operators begin adopting out-of-the-box agentic solutions now while simultaneously upskilling their workforce to manage future expansions. This hybrid approach helps reduce friction when scaling from limited pilots to broader operational use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taken together, these findings suggest that agentic AI is poised to reshape telecom operations in fundamental ways. Manual processes will continue to have a place, but the direction of travel is clear: networks are becoming too complex and too dynamic to be managed entirely by humans. Agentic systems, operating under strong governance, may help CSPs move closer to the long-standing vision of autonomous, self-healing networks that can adapt to shifting conditions in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the industry navigates this shift, the firms best positioned to benefit will be those that treat agentic AI not as a bolt-on enhancement but as a core operational capability. That includes aligning internal teams, strengthening governance, working closely with vendors and investing early in interoperability. The momentum outlined in Omdia\u2019s research shows that telecom leaders understand what is at stake. In the years to come, agentic AI could help redefine how networks operate, how services are delivered and how CSPs compete in an increasingly digital, data-intensive landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-10.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"299\" height=\"136\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-10.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20657\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you liked this post, you\u2019ll love one of the the leading global business communications and technology events since 1999, the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.itexpo.com\/\">ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW<\/a>, Feb 10-12, 2026 Fort Lauderdale, Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t forget the collocated&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mspexpo.com\/\">MSP Expo<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 just for managed service providers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Aside from his role as CEO of&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tmcnet.com\/\">TMC<\/a>&nbsp;and chairman of&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.itexpo.com\/\">ITEXPO<\/a>&nbsp;#TECHSUPERSHOW Feb 10-12, 2026,&nbsp;Rich Tehrani is CEO of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt-advisors.com\/\">RT Advisors<\/a>&nbsp;and a Registered Representative (investment banker) with and offering securities through&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.4pointscapital.com\/\">Four Points Capital Partners LLC&nbsp;<\/a>(Four Points) (Member FINRA\/SIPC). He handles capital\/debt raises as well as M&amp;A. RT Advisors is not owned by Four Points.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The above is not an endorsement or recommendation to buy\/sell any security or sector mentioned. No companies mentioned above are current or past clients of RT Advisors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The views and opinions expressed above are those of the participants. While believed to be reliable, the information has not been independently verified for accuracy. Any broad, general statements made herein are provided for context only and should not be construed as exhaustive or universally applicable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Portions of this article may have been developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence, which may have contributed to ideation, content generation, factual review, or editing<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways: Telecom operators worldwide are accelerating their automation strategies, and a growing share now see agentic AI as the catalyst that could push networks toward true autonomy. A new report from Omdia finds that 41 percent of communications service providers believe the greatest near-term impact of agentic systems will be in network management, a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":25540,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194],"tags":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25538"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25538"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25541,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25538\/revisions\/25541"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}