ETSI probes the network with Artificial Intelligence

© Flickr/cc-licence/Stephen D Strowes

© Flickr/cc-licence/Stephen D Strowes

  • New industry specification group on Experiential Networked Intelligence
  • Improving network deployment and operation by using AI
  • Experiential Networked Intelligence should reduce complexity
  • Initial work to focus on use cases and requirements

ETSI has commenced its work on new network control models. The new ETSI Industry Specification Group on Experiential Networked Intelligence (ISG ENI) aims to define a Context Aware System using Artificial Intelligence based on the “observe-orient-decide-act” control model. This enables a system to adjust offered services based on changes in user needs, environmental conditions and business goals.

“The purpose of the group is to improve operators' experience regarding network deployment and operation, by using AI techniques,” said Dr. Raymond Forbes of Huawei Technologies UK, who was elected as chairman of the ISG at an inaugural meeting at ETSI on Monday.

“By introducing technologies such as SDN, NFV or network slicing, the network becomes more flexible and powerful,” added Haining Wang of China Telecom, who was elected as vice-chair. “Nevertheless, the complexity of the future network is not reduced, but transferred from hardware to software, from the network itself to management and operation, from equipment to people. Experiential Networked Intelligence is expected to help operators to solve these problems.”

So far, 10 companies and organisations are participating in the ISG ENI and have set out a schedule to collect essential use cases and requirements, as well as conduct analyses of the potential gaps in the next eight months. There is a strong Asia flavour to the ISG, with China Telecom, Huawei, Samsung, China Academy of Telecommunications Research, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology all participating. Other members include Verizon and component company Xilinx.

The ETSI ISG says it will collaborate with major standards developing organisations such as ETSI’s own NFV, MEC NGP groups, as well as the IETF, MEF, 3GPP and BBF. New members are invited to join the group and participate in future meetings and standardisation work.

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