Ericsson brings agentic AI to core networks

Ericsson has extended its multi-vendor automation platform to core networks, providing operators with unified management capabilities.

Telecom operators require consolidated control over complex infrastructure. Ericsson addresses this demand by expanding the Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform (EIAP) to include core networks. The update establishes a single control architecture for open Radio Access Network (RAN) and core environments.

Data synchronisation between RAN and core environments traditionally dictates network performance metrics. Ericsson introduces a dedicated data streaming function within the Ericsson Network Manager (ENM) to eliminate latency constraints.

The Ericsson Stream Processing and Enrichment (ESPE) component operates as a unified repository for network event data. ESPE collects streaming telemetry directly from Ericsson proprietary nodes and third-party ORAN equipment. The system intercepts this data in real-time, executing continuous formatting and normalisation protocols.

The enrichment phase adds geospatial and device-specific metadata to the raw telemetry before exposing it to the application layer. ESPE handles the exact replication of this processed data, ensuring all native and third-party applications draw from identical datasets. This architecture removes the need for independent polling engines that drag down compute resources.

Real-world application

AT&T applies the EIAP architecture to govern network policy and automate its expansive infrastructure. Rob Soni, the operator’s VP of RAN Technology, explains: “AT&T is building the most intelligent and resilient network, and this means embracing automation across every layer of our network and operations. 

“Ericsson’s expansion of EIAP to include core network automation is a significant step forward for the industry. Having a single platform running cApps and rApps gives operators a critical tool for delivering on the vision of a truly autonomous network, harnessing the power of agentic AI that can sense, decide, and act in real-time.”

The integration of core applications (cApps) alongside existing RAN applications (rApps) enables AT&T engineering teams to execute cross-domain automation logic. An action taken in the RAN layer to optimise spectrum allocation triggers a direct corresponding resource allocation within the core environment.

Philipp Bichsel, Executive VP of Mobile Network and Services at Swisscom, comments: “With this expansion of the platform’s capabilities to include management of core network and providing a platform for cApps, Ericsson has given the market a powerful tool for building on early success with introducing RAN automation, extending those abilities to help deliver an autonomous and programmable network end-to-end.”

Application development and core orchestration

Extending EIAP capability introduces a new application classification designed exclusively for internal compute environments. Network administrators develop and deploy cApps directly into the core network to execute autonomous adjustments.

These applications interface with built-in AI systems native to the EIAP environment. The AI components operate autonomously, parsing active network states and initiating configuration updates without human intervention.

Initial production use cases prioritise network resiliency and strict service-oriented delivery parameters. Operators configure cApps to monitor specific service level agreements and automatically reroute traffic during hardware degradation. The existing marketplace contains over 100 available rApps developed by more than 100 ecosystem members. Ericsson intends to apply this development framework to the emerging cApp environment.

Anders Vestergren, Head of Network Automation at Ericsson, says: “By expanding the Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform to the core, we are providing our customers with a critical central enabler for their Autonomous Network journey.

“The expanded EIAP will unify the management and automation of RAN and core networks, provide a single source of truth for network topology and resource data through the central resource layer, and deliver reliable low-latency data from ENM’s streaming capability (ESPE). It gives CSPs a simplified route to deploying complex, high-value differentiated services with real control over cost and complexity.”

Industry adoption rates and engineering hurdles

Late last year, 68 percent of CSPs reported active commercial deployments of network or service automation. Only eight percent of these operators maintain automation at an architectural scale. The disparity highlights the difficulty operators face when attempting to stitch together isolated automation tools across varying network segments.

Ericsson holds over 150 global contracts for 5G Core or cloud-native core deployments, providing a massive footprint for the expanded EIAP. Telcos such as Telstra and Vodafone already run EIAP to manage multi-vendor infrastructure.

Roberto Kompany, Principal Analyst at Omdia, tracks this specific market sector. Kompany states: “Introducing autonomy in core networks has become a strategic solution to address the challenges CSPs now face in delivering high-performing, resilient, scalable, and secure networks, all while addressing growing customer demands for agility and innovation.

“This latest addition to the rapidly-expanding Ericsson portfolio that supports CSPs autonomous networks transformation will give its customers a valuable, flexible, centralised platform alongside an innovation ecosystem for applications to power autonomy across multiple domains.”

See also: Spectrum AI expands commercial CBRS network capacity fivefold

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