• e& UAE shares its automated network blueprint 
• Radcom tackles laggy analytics 
• Ericsson and friends launch 5G/6G/AI test centre

In today’s industry news roundup: Abu Dhabi-based telco teams up with the TM Forum to share its route to fully automated network operations; Radcom reckons it can address some telco analytics teething problems; Ericsson, Telia and others are to test 5G, 6G and AI innovations at a new test facility in Sweden; and much more!

Abu Dhabi-based operator e& UAE has unveiled its path towards “high-level autonomous networks” in a whitepaper released in partnership with trade body the TM Forum called The Path to Full Autonomy: e& UAE’s Strategic Blueprint for Network Transformation in the AI Era. The document “sets out e& UAE’s vision to move from traditional automation towards AI-native, intent-driven and closed-loop operations” and “provides a structured blueprint for how telecom operators can evolve network operations from manual and reactive models to intelligent, self-optimising and self-healing networks, while keeping human governance and policy controls at the centre,” the telco noted in this announcement. Helpfully, e& UAE’s roadmap focuses on four clearly identified business outcomes, namely: Improving O&M (operations and maintenance) efficiency; enhancing customer experience; reducing energy consumption; and accelerating service delivery. The strategy targets progressive evolution towards Level 4 Autonomous Networks (including some limited human interaction) by 2030, while preparing the foundation for Level 5 self-evolving networks (fully autonomous, with no human interaction) beyond 2030: That’s a move that will generate discussion, as there are some in the industry who believe Level 5 is not achievable. Marwan Bin Shakar, CTO at e& UAE, stated: “The future of telecoms will be defined by networks that can think, learn and act autonomously. At e& UAE, we see Autonomous Networks [framework] as a strategic enabler of the AI era, transforming networks from operational infrastructure into intelligent digital platforms… By working closely with TM Forum, we are helping bridge industry vision and real-world implementation, accelerating the path toward Level 4 and Level 5 autonomy while supporting broader ambitions around sovereign AI, digital transformation and next-generation connectivity.”

Expect to hear a lot about AI-enabled automation and next-generation OSS and BSS capabilities over the next few days, as the TM Forum’s annual major event, DTW Ignite, opens its doors on Tuesday morning for three days of presentations, keynote speeches, show floor demonstrations and late afternoon cocktails (we hope). The e& UAE whitepaper launch was timed to coincide with the show, as was Monday’s announcement from network probe specialist Radcom that it has launched a new tool, its ADM (analytics designer module), which addresses the increasing demand from telcos for real-time data analytics. The module “enables network data analysts to define, configure and deploy datasets, KPIs (key performance indicators) and alarms in real time without requiring vendor engagement, software release cycles and service interruption, reducing change cycles from months to the same day and meeting the pace and scale of the world’s leading telecom networks,” noted the vendor in this announcement. It added: “As network automation and agentic systems take hold, traditional analytics impose three constraints on operator agility. They are not dynamic: Changes to data structures often require vendor engagement, a new software release and a planned service interruption. They are not cost efficient: Simple requests can turn into months-long custom development projects. And they are not real-time: Analytics often run at 15-minute resolution at best, while live troubleshooting needs sub-one-minute granularity, down to 10 seconds. Radcom ADM is designed to address all three. It draws on both Radcom ACE assurance data and external feeds, real-time or historical, with on-the-fly Call Detail Record (CDR) correlation,” claimed the vendor.

Ericsson is teaming up with Telia and a number of Swedish research institutions to develop a new 300m krona (SEK) ($31m) national testing centre for 5G, 6G and AI technologies. Digital Arena Sweden is backed by the county’s innovation agency, Vinnova, and will feature a pre-commercial 6G test environment, developed in partnership with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Lund University. The move, which builds on Telia and Ericsson’s joint 5G innovation project, NorthStar, will enable industries, such as mining and transport, to explore the potential of 6G.

India is set to introduce tougher rules that will mean companies looking to roll out satellite communications services in the country will need a security clearance even after spectrum has been assigned to them, according to reports. Draft rules issued by the Indian government mean that in order for satellite companies, such as Starlink or Eutelsat OneWeb, to begin offering their connectivity in India, they will need to secure permission from the central government, The Economic Times reports. “Provided… the central government has issued a letter of intent prior to obtaining the applicable clearance for the installation of radio equipment, the spectrum assignment shall be granted, after such clearance has been obtained,” noted the draft rules that were published on 17 June. According to the rules, companies will need security clearance before getting a letter of intent, which is issued prior to them obtaining a licence. The government is looking for comments and has given interested parties 30 days to submit them. But the proposals could also open the door to faster deployments, as – if approved – they will allow satellite companies to access spectrum through a direct process with the authorities, meaning they will not have to go to auction. Rates will be determined by market price, added the report

UK wholesale fibre broadband altnet CityFibre has extended its long-term partnership with VodafoneThree, supporting the mobile operator’s rollout of 5G standalone services. The extended agreement will see CityFibre become a preferred supplier for backhaul network transmission, connecting a number of VodafoneThree’s mobile sites across the UK at a time when the operator is investing heavily in its infrastructure as part of its pledge to plough £11bn into its network over the next decade. The agreement also covers CityFibre’s own network expansion plans, which will see its infrastructure pass more than  8 million UK premises, up from its current total of 4.7 million, allowing VodafoneThree to expand its own retail broadband services to more customers. More than 330,000 Vodafone customers use CityFibre’s network.

Jersey Telecom Global (JT) has begun its rollout of 5G services in Guernsey, in partnership with Ericsson, with the first two sites now live. The initial two sites on the channel island, both of which are in St Peter Port, make JT the first telco to switch on 5G in the area, as part of what it calls a “significant investment” into mobile infrastructure across the Channel Islands, which will see 5G expanded over the next four months. JT built its network with Ericsson, deploying a fully end-to-end combined 4G, 5G non-standalone (5G NSA) and 5G standalone (5G SA) network, which will support ultra-low latencies and services, such as Wi-Fi calling. The operator recently completed its £500m acquisition of Manx Telecom, before CEO Daragh McDermott announced his resignation around a month later.

– The staff, TelecomTV