Introduction
This report is based on a survey conducted in Q3 2023 with 36 mobile or converged communications service providers (CSPs). It explores CSPs’ motivations for adopting RAN AI, their goals for automation, and the challenges they must overcome to deploy RAN AI at scale.
Key Findings
- RAN Automation Growth
- CSPs aim to increase RAN automation from less than 20% of processes in 2023 to an average of 70% by 2027.
- Insights into CSPs’ efforts to move beyond previous approaches to RAN automation.
- Challenges & Requirements
- Key conditions that must be met before CSPs can implement RAN AI on a large scale.
- Barriers to adoption and how CSPs plan to overcome them.
- Vendor & Partner Expectations
- The types of vendors CSPs expect to collaborate with for RAN AI projects.
- Supply chain considerations for RAN AI adoption.
- RAN AI Use Cases & Investment Triggers
- The primary use cases CSPs plan to deploy in the short-to-medium term.
- Main benefits CSPs aim to achieve with RAN AI.
- Key investment triggers that will drive adoption.
Key Questions Answered
- How quickly will CSPs adopt RAN AI, and how does this relate to their use of self-organising network (SON) systems?
- What benefits do CSPs expect from RAN AI, and what conditions must be met before widespread deployment?
- Which vendors and partners will CSPs work with for their RAN AI projects?
- What are the most critical RAN AI use cases for CSPs in the coming years?
This report provides a detailed look at CSPs’ evolving strategies for RAN AI adoption, highlighting the opportunities and challenges ahead.
