How AI Can Help In Telecom Optimization AI technologies can enhance network optimization, predictive maintenance, and resource allocation

Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) across various telecom sectors presents numerous opportunities. AI technologies can enhance network optimization, predictive maintenance, and resource allocation. This can lead to increased efficiency in network planning and operations, ultimately minimizing downtime and improving service quality.

Telecom service providers are increasingly leveraging AI to optimize network operations, predict maintenance needs, combat fraud and automate complex workflows especially with the expansion of 5G and the upcoming 6G networks. One of the most important use cases of AI in telecom is operational optimisation of telecom networks. Today, telecom infrastructure supports more than 1.2 billion connections in India and billions more globally, handling enormous volumes of data traffic.

"AI systems analyse real-time data and historical patterns to foresee potential faults and schedule maintenance proactively. This helps prevent outages and ensures smoother service delivery. AI's benefits also extend to security, fraud prevention, and curbing spam calls. Traditional reactive systems based on static rules are no longer sufficient in today's fast-evolving telecom landscape," said Anil Kumar Lahoti, chairman, TRAI.

Given the state of play for AI globally, India is harnessing technology to become a developed nation by 2047. Sector-specific models of AI enhance productivity and efficiency to meet growth targets. India is capitalising on the opportunities to work on AI infrastructure and computing capacity, in partnership with private players. "We are also focussed on accessibility and inclusivity for the future. We are all geared up to have our first AI-foundational model by the end of this year. AI will not replace people but subtract friction from the equation and India has provisions in its law to protect the interest of its people," said S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY.

As we deliberate on the future of telecom and mobile technology, it is imperative to focus on security. With 5G and beyond, security and sovereignty should be embedded into every layer of telecom infrastructure. The true test of telecom progress lies in a safe, inclusive, and resilient network.

Managing mobile networks is a large task with many nodes, interfaces and points to ensure the right cyber protection. AI increasingly plays a role in ensuring security. "With India's increasing scale and digital adoption, the concern around scams is also getting bigger. We are working with TRAI on an interesting pilot and collaborating with RBI and Indian banks to build a robust framework which will foolproof and secure all privacy requirements, and streamline consent so that users are empowered in their digital journey. We all need to work collectively to combat the issue (of frauds and scams) at hand," said Ambika Khurana, CRO, Vodafone India.

AI enhances telecom security by enabling real-time, proactive threat detection and automated response to network attacks and fraud. It analyzes vast amounts of network traffic to identify anomalies, predicts and prevents SIM-swap fraud, strengthens KYC verification, and combats malicious calls and spam. As cyber threats become more sophisticated, AI-powered security is becoming essential for protecting networks, sensitive data, and customer trust in the evolving telecom landscape.

However, adoption remains in its early stages, with many companies still only experimenting with a limited set of established use cases. Telecoms need to move on to the next stage of their AI journey by choosing the right use cases and strategically integrating AI across a range of activities.