The future of programmable networks: industry leaders share their vision at Ericsson D-15
- Ericsson brought together industry analysts, customers and partners at its D-15 Innovation Center in Silicon Valley for in-depth discussions on how mobile innovations are evolving within the broader ecosystem.
- Programmable networks were a central theme with a focus on how advanced network capabilities can help operators and enterprises adapt to both current customer demands and anticipate future needs.
Vice President Head of Marketing
Vice President Head of Marketing
Vice President Head of Marketing
At the halfway mark of the 5G deployment cycle, the mobile industry has a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of evolved network capabilities, stronger partnerships and efficiencies between applications and the underlying network infrastructure.
During the event at our D-15 Innovation Center in Silicon Valley, we had the unique opportunity to speak with industry leaders from a range of partners. These thought leaders shared their perspectives on programmable networks in an era where ecosystem collaborations are more crucial than ever. The conversations provided a holistic view of how various innovations will fit together to shape the future of programmable networks.
Setting the scene: Ericsson's vision
Fredrik Jejdling, Head of Ericsson Networks, used an analogy with American football to illustrate the 5G journey. "If this was a San Francisco 49ers game, we'd be at half time," he noted, referring to the five years since the launch of the world's first commercial 5G networks in the US in 2019.
Jejdling emphasized that 5G was designed for capabilities beyond speed and coverage, including network slicing, authentication, and precise location services. The key enabler for these new capabilities? High-performing programmable networks.
The first half of the 5G cycle focused on deploying 5G networks to handle traditional mobile broadband traffic growth and establishing Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) as an alternative to fixed access. With the recent launch of Ericsson 5G Advanced, we have taken a major step forward in bringing new RAN functionality to improve user experience, unlock revenue opportunities, and reduce costs.
"This is a big change!" Jejdling said, adding that programmability empowers CSPs to steer network behavior towards specific business outcomes. The network becomes AI-powered, not just following intents but continuously self-optimizing and learning to deliver optimal performance. Ericsson Chief Technology Officer Erik Ekudden also spoke at D-15.
“Networks are innovative, investable and open for business,” he said. “We view network differentiation as the next wave in mobile. To take full advantage of this means we must change the way we work, especially within partner ecosystems. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together.”
As Ekudden suggests, the pieces of this complex puzzle are indeed coming together. Each piece represents a unique perspective from across the ecosystem, and when assembled, they reveal the complete picture of how programmable networks will transform our industry.
Let's explore how different industry leaders view their piece of this puzzle and how they contribute to the larger ecosystem.
Industry perspectives
Dell's view on the promise of programmable networks
Dennis Hoffman, SVP and General Manager, Dell Telecom Systems Business, emphasized the importance of the vibrant telecoms industry and programmable networks are vital for achieving three critical business objectives: revenue growth, cost reduction, and increased agility. Hoffman stressed that ecosystem collaboration is essential for delivering on these promises.
"From where we are today, we're going to have to go faster and we will" Hoffman noted, highlighting how companies are moving beyond the initial phase of understanding each other's strategies to delivering solutions the industry will actually accept.
Dennis Hoffman SVP & GM Dell Telecom Systems Business
Intel's vision for cloud-based evolution
Cloud-based operating models, pioneered in data centers, have produced innovations that can drive efficiencies across the telecom industry. While the core network has made significant progress, the radio access network (RAN) side presents both challenges and opportunities ahead. Industry-wide ecosystem collaborations have been crucial to the telecom sector's successes thus far.
According to Sachin Katti, Senior VP and General Manager of Network and Edge at Intel, three key themes are shaping the industry's evolution: the transformation toward open and cloud-based radio access networks, the benefits of increased automation and efficiency, and the potential of network APIs. He emphasized how cloud-based architecture enables telecom operators to create new monetization streams beyond traditional connectivity.
Katti highlighted the critical role of ecosystem collaboration in shaping previous, current, and future mobile network generations. These collaborative innovations will enable unprecedented applications, with AI playing an integral role across all layers of the technology stack.
Sachin Katti, Senior VP and General Manager of Network and Edge at Intel
AirHop's open ecosystem vision
rApps relies on an open ecosystem for innovations that can support more efficient operations of mobile infrastructure. A playing field where network infrastructure and communication service providers can leverage innovations from a broad variety of players.
Anand Parikh, CEO of AirHop, emphasized three critical points for the future of programmable networks: the necessity of an open ecosystem for rApps, the importance of moving beyond lab trials to commercial deployments, and the concept of "Sustainable Open AI RAN".
"For 5G networks to have good ROI that operators would be happy about, you have to have an open ecosystem for rApps," Parikh stated. He emphasized that without openness, there can't be the innovations needed for 5G networks to reach their full potential.
Anand Parikh, CEO, Airhop
Snowflake's vision for network data integration
As networks become more programmable, unlocking the value of network data becomes crucial. Sreedhar Rao, Global CTO of Snowflake, emphasized how combining RAN data with business systems can transform network operations: “Now you are able to actually provide a granular view of this combined data to make the rApp application ecosystem that much richer because it has visibility into more than just the RAN data.”
The result of combining data across former data borders is better insights that are more meaningful for both customers and frontline staff.
Using a climate change analogy, Rao further described Snowflake’s approach: "We are helping customers zoom out, connect the dots, and then zoom back in to make optimal choices."
Sreedhar Rao, Global CTO of Snowflake
AWS's vision for cloud and AI integration
Ishwar Parulkar, CTO for Telecom and Edge at AWS, shared insights on how cloud and AI technologies are reshaping telecommunications operations. He highlighted that that Operations Support System (OSS)/ Business Support System (BSS) systems have reached a significant maturity milestone in cloud adoption, making them among the most established telecom workloads in cloud environments today.
On the AI front, Parulkar emphasized its transformative role in next-generation OSS/BSS systems, and the strength of the cooperation with Ericsson to combine AWS generative AI technology to Ericsson OSS/BSS products and services.
"In cases like customer experience or call center management, telcos seem to be quite ahead or with the leading pack," he observed. However, he also identified data management as a crucial area for development: "One of the key things in AI/ML to take advantage of the technology is to really understand data well and to manage that data well."
The future of network operations holds significant promise through AI, according to Parulkar, enabling more sophisticated capabilities like automated failure detection and self-healing networks, as well as hyper-personalized services based on customer needs.
Ishwar Parulkar, CTO for Telecom and Edge at AWS
With programmable networks, rApps and cloud laying the foundation for more dynamic and flexible network capabilities, the stage is set for revolutionary communication experiences. Meta is seizing this opportunity, envisioning a future where human connections transcend physical limitations.
Meta's future of communication
Human connections remain front and center in a digital world, and soon it might be difficult for many of us to tell the difference between the real you and your avatar.
Hiral Modi, Head of Wireless Ecosystem Engineering, Meta Reality Labs provided a fascinating glimpse into the future of human connection. From handwritten letters to today's video calls, Modi painted a picture of an increasingly immersive future featuring augmented reality, virtual reality, and life-size holograms.
"We are focused on building the future of human connection where space, distance, or time is not a barrier," Modi explained. While showcasing innovations like codec avatars and smart glasses, Modi emphasized that connectivity plays a crucial role in solving challenges related to device size, weight, power, and thermal management.
Hiral Modi, Head of Wireless Ecosystem Engineering, Meta Reality Labs
Conclusion
We are at a significant moment in the evolution of programmable networks, and the conversations at D-15 highlighted a common thread: we're at an inflection point where innovation in programmable network capabilities must align with the unique requirements of industry verticals and applications.
Network APIs are emerging as the crucial bridge connecting these two areas of innovation. As we move forward, the collaboration between partners in the broader ecosystem will be vital in realizing the full potential of programmable networks. The future of telecommunications isn't just about technology—it's about creating an open, collaborative environment where innovation can flourish and deliver real value to customers and operators alike.
The journey toward high-performing programmable networks is well underway, and the ecosystem is aligned on its importance. As these technologies mature and deployments scale, we can expect to see new possibilities emerge that we haven't even imagined yet. The second half of the 5G game promises to be even more exciting than the first.
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