There is No Autonomous Network Without Observability

Autonomous networking is the topic du jour in telecom. However, moving beyond the desire for autonomous networks and implementing the technologies necessary to advance network autonomy can be complex. Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) as critical building blocks to autonomous networks, and, of course, automation is ever-present in these conversations.

But what about observability? What is observability’s role in running autonomous networks for communications service providers (CSPs)? Short answer: A critical one.     

In telecom, observability gives CSPs real-time insights they need to keep networks running smoothly. It is not about watching for problems but about understanding what is going on in the network and preventing those issues from becoming a bigger deal. That kind of visibility is critical if you want a network that is stable, reliable, and adaptable to changing conditions.

Why Observability Beats Traditional Monitoring

The old way of monitoring networks – reacting to issues after they’ve started causing headaches – needs to be modernized. And with the scale of modern networks, covering access, transport, core, and edge, there is just too much data for a reactive approach to work. Observability digs deep into the network and gives us the “what” and the “why” of network behavior.

At its highest level, observability can seem a bit theoretical. However, there have been industry events that showcase the need for rapid and proactive monitoring across the network.

In 2022 and 2023, there were two different operators in Europe and North America that experienced network outages. In both cases, internal routing issues caused significant disruptions; external observability platforms identified the problems before the service providers could, pinpointing the root cause of the outages faster and mitigating subsequent damage.

These incidents show how essential it is for CSPs to build robust observability capabilities into their network to avoid lengthy outages and improve proactive decision-making.

By pulling data from every corner of the network and piecing it together, observability shows you how things are working across the board. This shift from reactive monitoring to proactive observability means you can spot potential issues before they escalate, which is critical for meeting service-level agreements (SLAs).

Building Resilience with Observability

To be sure, the concept of autonomous networks has been around for a while, largely defined by TM Forum’s vision, which provides a strong focus on operations and customer-facing services.

There is an opportunity now to widen this vision to include the broader picture, a fully integrated approach covering operations, analytics, and security across every layer of the network—radio, transport, core, and cloud. Observability provides deep visibility into the fully autonomous network.

One of the best things about observability is how it strengthens network resilience. Downtime can not only damage your reputation and frustrate your customers; it is also flat-out expensive. Observability helps you spot vulnerabilities before they become major issues. With real-time insights, you can jump in and make fixes before they lead to downtime or degraded performance.

Plus, observability works hand-in-hand with AI-driven assurance systems. By constantly monitoring performance, these systems diligently look for patterns that might hint at future problems. They can make proactive adjustments, which cut down on the need for manual intervention. The result? A network that is more self-reliant, adaptive, and able to keep running smoothly.

Observability doesn’t just stop there—it also steps up your security game. With threat detection built into every layer of the network, observability helps your network identify and deal with security issues in real time, making it not just self-healing but self-securing.

True visibility into multi-domain networks

Today’s networks are not confined to one domain anymore. We are working with multi-domain networks that tie together radio, transport, and cloud technologies. That creates a massive amount of data, and managing that data in real time is a challenge. But that is exactly what observability is designed to handle.

By providing a unified view across all these domains, observability lets you see exactly what is going on, no matter where an issue arises. This means problems do not get missed just because they start in a different part of the network. Observability allows seamless communication between different network domains, which improves efficiency and reduces downtime.

AI, automation, and observability: An innovative mix of technology

Looking ahead, it’s clear that observability and AI are going to be tightly linked. As networks become more autonomous, AI will rely on observability to adapt in real time without human intervention. With AI processing the data gathered through observability, networks can start making decisions on their own, optimizing performance and preventing problems before they happen.

An interesting innovation in this space is the digital twin—a virtual replica of your network that lets you simulate different scenarios without impacting the actual infrastructure. Imagine stress-testing your network during a spike in demand or trying out new services before rolling them out. Digital twins make that possible, helping you stay ahead of potential issues.

As AI/ML continues to improve, observability systems will only get smarter. They’ll get better at recognizing patterns and delivering more precise insights, which will make managing complex networks easier and more efficient.

Sense, Think, Act: Wrapping It All Up

When discussing autonomous networks, CSPs can consider a simple framework: sense, think, act. You “sense” by using observability to gather real-time data. You “think” by analyzing that data with AI to generate actionable insights. You “act” by automating the necessary changes to optimize the network. Observability is key to this entire process, enabling networks to operate with minimal human intervention.

Important to note there is no “sense, think, act” without security. Each network layer must be equipped with encryption, authentication, and real-time threat detection. This way, every layer is doing its part to prevent unauthorized access and block cyberattacks.

As networks grow in complexity and data volumes surge, observability gives you the tools to monitor, analyze, and optimize your infrastructure in real time. With AI and automation on the rise, observability will continue to evolve, helping networks become even more autonomous, resilient, and efficient.