SUBSCRIBE NOW
IN THIS ISSUE
PIPELINE RESOURCES

Driving Telco Innovation at Full Speed: The Crucial
Role of Network Asset Management in the Age of AI

By: Daria Batrakova

As digital transformation surges forward, the telecommunications industry finds itself at the heart of unprecedented innovation. Topics like Artificial Intelligence for IT operations (AIOps), autonomous networks, and intent-driven orchestration dominate strategic conversations. These transformative technologies hold immense potential, from predictive network decision intelligence and zero-touch provisioning to Co-pilots with real-time infrastructure insights and customer-centric AI-supported service orchestration. But beneath this futuristic vision lies a foundational requirement that is often underappreciated or overlooked: accurate, unified management of network assets and resources. Without it, even the most promising technologies become unreliable, inefficient, or altogether inoperable.

The Implicit Enabler: Why Inventory Matters

Despite the allure of emerging technologies, the value of network inventory cannot be overstated. Today’s sophisticated telecom solutions, whether AI-powered systems, autonomous networks, or intent-driven orchestration platforms, are only as effective as the data they’re built on. At the foundation of every innovation is a need for complete, accurate, and unified inventory data. Without it, operations support systems (OSS) lose their reliability, automation becomes risky, and the very innovations meant to drive agility and efficiency may instead introduce new complexity or error.  

Artificial intelligence, for instance, cannot generate accurate insights or make sound decisions based solely on observable data like alarms or performance metrics. To create a true digital twin of the network, AI must understand what assets exist, where they are located, how they interconnect, and how they function across passive, active, and virtual layers. This comprehensive visibility is critical for the predictive and prescriptive capabilities operators increasingly depend on.  

Similarly, intent-driven automation, which allows operators to define outcomes and let systems determine the optimal actions, requires full transparency into both the current and planned states of the network. This is only achievable when inventory data is consolidated into a single source of truth. Fragmented or outdated data leads to incorrect actions, failed service delivery, and increased risk of downtime, effectively undermining the goal of seamless automation.  

Intelligent network operations, which depend on real-time situational awareness and quick decision-making, also hinge on inventory quality. When network data is siloed across multiple sources, fault resolution slows down, and root cause analysis becomes more difficult. Operators must spend precious time reconciling data or navigating incomplete records instead of resolving issues. This not only delays incident response but also impacts customer experience.  

Ultimately, innovation starts with visibility, and visibility starts with a well-managed, integrated approach to infrastructure and network documentation. 

TM-Forum Aligned Capabilities that Power Future-Ready Networks

To unlock the full potential of next-generation networks, telcos must build on a robust digital foundation. Here’s how a well-architected network inventory strategy enables innovation:

1. End-to-End Visibility: The Prerequisite for Agility

Understanding every component - across physical, logical, and virtual layers - is fundamental to achieving operational excellence and ensuring service continuity. This comprehensive view must encompass physical infrastructure such as cables, fiber optic paths, and wireless transmission links; logical elements including circuits, Virtual Local Area Network Identifiers (VLAN) pools, and IP subnet assignments; as well as virtual and software-defined components like virtual machines (VMs), containers, virtual network functions (CNFs and VNFs). Only with this holistic insight can telecom operators attain true end-to-end visibility across the entire network ecosystem.  

Such visibility enables faster and more precise fault detection and root cause analysis by allowing operators to trace dependencies and interconnections across layers in real time. When a failure occurs, whether in a physical cable or a virtual link, integrated visibility helps isolate the problem quickly and initiate corrective actions with minimal disruption. In addition, a unified understanding of all network layers supports smarter resource allocation, reduces redundant provisioning, and enhances capacity planning to ensure available assets are fully utilized before new investments are made.  



FEATURED SPONSOR:

Latest Updates





Subscribe to our YouTube Channel