Operator Strategies for Level 4 Autonomous Networking at the RAN Management Layer

"Operators must determine how best to build on their existing RAN automation investments while adopting next-generation solutions."

Operators are at different stages of their RAN automation journeys and face challenges in navigating industry frameworks and solutions to achieve Level 4 autonomous networking (L4 AN). Operators must evaluate the benefits of automation against their business goals to find the most suitable solution and move forward.

This report examines the different approaches operators can take to advance RAN automation - whether by enhancing existing systems with AI and advanced automation features or adopting Open RAN (O-RAN) service management and orchestration (SMO) frameworks to support more modular and open architectures. The report also assesses the challenges operators face and the implications of adopting next-generation automation solutions and architectures for the future of intelligent RAN operations.

Questions answered in this report

• What challenges are operators facing as they attempt to advance to higher levels of automation to support L4 AN in the RAN?
• How can operators evolve their existing network management and self-organising network systems to deliver greater automation and intelligence without full architectural replacement?
• What role does the O-RAN SMO framework play in enabling more flexible and open RAN-automation architectures?
• What migration pathways exist between traditional network management systems and next-generation AI-native automation solutions?