Nokia: European Telcos Favour Evolution Over Revolution
The telecommunications sector stands on the cusp of a significant transformation driven by AI and automation.
Self-managing, self-healing networks promise greater efficiency and innovation.
However, across Europe’s complex landscape, the move towards autonomous networks is not a rapid race but a measured, strategic progression shaped by regulation and market diversity.
European Communications Service Providers (CSPs) face unique challenges, including integrating legacy systems and meeting strict data privacy laws.
Their pragmatic approach focuses on reliable returns rather than chasing hype.
With 30 years in the industry and now Vice President of Cloud and Network Services for Europe at Nokia, Erez Sverdlov has a unique perspective on this transformation.
In his role, Erez is at the epicentre of the evolution, leading Nokia’s software business and guiding CSPs as they implement the technologies that are reshaping the very fabric of our digital infrastructure.
The human connection in a digital age
Before delving into the intricacies of machine learning algorithms and network orchestration, it is crucial to understand the driving force behind the innovation.
For many industry leaders like Erez, the journey is deeply personal and rooted in a fundamental belief in the power of connectivity.
“I’ve always been fascinated by technology, but my path into the industry wasn’t a straight line; it was more of a journey driven by a passion for connecting people,” Erez shares.
“Even when I started in an era defined by copper wires and dial tones, I was excited by the potential to bring the world closer together. The fundamental drive has remained constant throughout my 30-year career, even as technology has undergone radical transformations.”
His passion transcends technical achievement. It speaks to a broader purpose that resonates with the core mission of the telecommunications industry.
“The opportunity to work in an industry that impacts sustainable development and digitalisation and to leverage technology to solve global challenges like connecting remote communities and improving healthcare access has been a key motivator throughout my professional life,” he adds.
His perspective is vital, as it frames the adoption of AI and automation not as an end in itself but as a means to achieve greater societal goals.
Technology has become a powerful tool to amplify human potential and address some of the world’s most pressing global issues.
Erez’s enthusiasm for the industry is palpable, fuelled by its dynamic nature and its capacity for positive impact.
“What gets me most excited about this industry is its power to tackle complex global problems,” he explains.
“It’s amazing to be involved in building networks that connect people, improve healthcare, boost education and even help fight climate change. The constant changes in technology and what customers want keeps things interesting, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see how our work helps our customers succeed and make a positive impact on their communities.”
Europe’s pragmatic pace: a strategy of incremental value
While the vision of fully autonomous networks (AN) is a global one, the path to realising it varies significantly by region.
A recent TM Forum benchmark study, sponsored by Nokia, illuminates Europe’s distinct methodology.
The report, which surveyed 141 CSP professionals, reveals a continent that favours evolution over revolution.
“European communications service providers are taking a deliberate and wise approach to building fully ANs,” Erez notes.
“While the spotlight often falls on early adopters advancing rapidly, European CSPs are making strategic, incremental progress, focusing on efficiency, reliability and real-world business value.”
The data supports the observation unequivocally.
“When asked about their AN strategy, 72% of European CSPs said they’re following a gradual, continuous improvement model. Only 28% described their plans as ‘ambitious,’ aimed at full transformation. In contrast, more than half of respondents in the Middle East indicated that they are pursuing aggressive automation strategies,” says Erez.
The cautious stance is not indicative of a lack of ambition but rather a reflection of the continent’s complex operational realities.
As Erez points out: “Europe’s operators are balancing innovation with operational realities: existing systems, complex architectures and regulatory pressures. Rather than chasing hype, they’re prioritising use cases that show clear Return on Investment (ROI), especially around operations and customer experience.”
The focus on demonstrable business outcomes is a hallmark of the European approach, ensuring that each step towards automation is a step towards greater efficiency and stability.
From theory to reality: AI and automation in action
Nokia is at the forefront of translating the theoretical benefits of AI into tangible deployments that are already transforming telecom infrastructures across Europe.
The key is a practical framework that moves beyond abstract concepts to deliver concrete results.
“Our ‘Sense, Think, Act’ framework, combined with the Autonomous Network Fabric, is key to this,” Erez states.
“This framework allows operators to gain 360-degree network observability [‘Sense’], leverage AI for informed decision-making [‘Think’] and implement closed-loop automation driven by business intent [‘Act’].”
The framework is not just a marketing slogan, it is a blueprint for action that delivers measurable improvements.
Erez highlights a partnership with Telenor, where Nokia is “working to improve multi-vendor orchestration and assurance, enabling them to confidently advance their AN capabilities without adding complexity.”
It demonstrates a critical capability: the ability to layer intelligent automation over existing, heterogeneous environments.
The results are compelling and speak directly to the business priorities of CSPs.
“The results are evident in tangible improvements: Telstra, for instance, can now set up new orchestration domains in under 48 hours, significantly accelerating time-to-market for new services,” Erez reveals.
The dramatic reduction in provisioning time is a breakthrough, allowing operators to respond to market demands with unprecedented agility.
Furthermore, sustainability has emerged as a major driver for automation in Europe.
Here, the impact is both environmental and economic.
“Since sustainability is a major driver of automation in Europe, we help European CSPs reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by up to 30%, a significant step towards sustainability goals, with our Energy Efficiency solution, which can be deployed in just a few weeks,” he says.
These are not marginal gains; they represent a substantial contribution to corporate and national green initiatives, demonstrating that what is good for the planet can also benefit the bottom line.
Solving the dual imperative: lowering costs while elevating experience
For any CSP, the twin pressures of optimising costs and enhancing customer satisfaction are a constant reality.
ANs, powered by AI and machine learning, directly address the dual imperative.
“We believe that ANs, powered by AI and machine learning, offer a powerful solution for European CSPs seeking to optimise costs and enhance customer satisfaction,” Erez asserts.
On the cost front, the benefits are multifaceted.
The most immediate impact is on operational expenditures (OPEX).
AI-driven automation takes over laborious manual tasks like fault detection, diagnosis and remediation. It “minimises human operator needs and associated labour costs,” while concurrently “proactively resolving issues before they impact customers,” he reports.
The proactive stance is a paradigm shift.
AI-powered predictive analytics can anticipate potential network failures, enabling preemptive maintenance and preventing costly outages.
It not only minimises downtime but reduces the need for expensive, reactive and often overtime-heavy repair efforts.
“Reducing operational and maintenance (O&M) costs are among the top priorities for CSPs across all regions, as they aim to improve operational effectiveness,” Erez confirms.
ANs contribute by optimising resource allocation – such as bandwidth and power – in real-time, improving efficiency and directly lowering operational costs, particularly energy consumption.
For the end-user, these behind-the-scenes optimisations translate to a demonstrably superior experience. An AN continuously monitors itself and makes automated adjustments to ensure optimal performance.
It translates to “faster speeds, lower latency and improved reliability.”
Furthermore, by identifying and resolving network issues before they escalate, the system “minimises service disruptions and improves satisfaction.”
The ultimate goal is a seamless, uninterrupted and high-quality service that builds customer loyalty.
The power of prediction: from reactive to proactive management
The shift from a reactive to a predictive operational model is one of the most transformative promises of AI.
Instead of waiting for an alarm to signal a failure, CSPs can now anticipate and prevent issues from happening in the first place.
Erez provides concrete examples of how European CSPs are leveraging these technologies. One powerful application is in predictive maintenance.
By analysing vast amounts of network data, AI algorithms can “predict equipment failures, for example, base station transceiver replacements scheduled during off-peak hours, enabling proactive maintenance and preventing outages.”
The simple change in timing minimises service impact and improves efficiency.
When issues do arise, real-time anomaly detection and accelerated root cause analysis dramatically reduce the Mean Time To Repair (MTTR), improving overall service quality.
AI can further predict traffic demand with remarkable accuracy, allowing the network to proactively adjust capacity and prevent the kind of congestion that frustrates users during peak times.
“Additionally, AI-driven automation reroutes traffic around failures, minimising disruption,” Erez adds.
“This is increasingly being used together with agentic AI to optimise issue resolution.”
The concept of ‘agentic AI’ – autonomous agents capable of complex problem-solving – represents the next step in network automation, promising even greater levels of intelligence and self-sufficiency.
Simplifying complexity with intent-based orchestration
The European telecom landscape is notoriously complex, featuring a patchwork of diverse technologies, vendors, and regulatory environments.
Intent-based orchestration offers a powerful way to cut through the complexity.
“In Europe’s diverse telecom landscape, Nokia’s intent-based orchestration simplifies network management by translating high-level business goals into automated network configurations,” Erez explains.
Instead of an engineer manually programming hundreds of individual network parameters to launch a new service, they can simply state the desired business outcome, the ‘intent’ and the orchestration platform automates the rest.
It eliminates the need for complex manual processes that are prone to errors, significantly reducing operational overhead.
The result is a dramatic acceleration in service deployment, a critical advantage in a fiercely competitive market.
Crucially, the approach provides the agility CSPs need to innovate and adapt.
“CSPs can rapidly adapt to changing market demands and introduce new services quickly,” Erez notes.
It empowers them to move at the speed of software, leaving behind the slow, cumbersome processes of the past.
A vision for the next three to five years
Looking ahead, Erez sees AI and automation as the catalysts for a fundamental reshaping of European telecoms.
“In the next three to five years, AI and automation will fundamentally change European telecoms,” he predicts.
“Networks will become highly autonomous, proactively managing performance, preventing outages and optimising resources in real-time.”
It will pave the way for a new era of personalised services, where AI tailors the network experience to individual usage patterns and preferences.
We will see the rise of advanced network slicing, creating dedicated virtual networks for specific, demanding applications like autonomous vehicles or immersive entertainment.
“The integration of AI and automation will accelerate 5G and 6G rollouts, enabling new applications across various sectors,” Erez concludes.
“This will provide faster, more reliable and secure connectivity for European citizens and businesses, driving innovation and economic growth.”
