LG Uplus sets TM Forum benchmark for autonomous networks

LG Uplus said it proposed and led the development of a new assessment framework for fixed access network fault management. The framework has passed TM Forum’s formal approval process and gives operators common criteria for evaluating autonomy within that network function.

Fixed access networks connect customers to services including broadband internet, IPTV, and Wi-Fi. The assessment covers fault management, including the detection and handling of network faults.

LG Uplus said operators previously lacked official criteria for objectively evaluating autonomous fault-management capabilities in fixed access networks. This limited their ability to compare operational capabilities or assess them against a common industry framework.

LG Uplus said operators can use the assessment results to identify areas that need improvement, while equipment suppliers can use the criteria as a reference for operator requirements. The company expects the chart to provide a basis for future Autonomous Network Level certification in the fixed access domain.

“We will continue to expand standardisation activities for autonomous networks in cooperation with global telecom operators,” Park Sung-woo, head of LG Uplus’ NW AX Group, said.

Measuring autonomy by scenario

TM Forum assesses autonomy through defined scenarios that combine an operational process with a network domain, rather than assigning one level to an operator’s entire network. A scenario can, for example, measure fault management in a radio access network, while the LG Uplus framework applies that approach to fault management in fixed access infrastructure.

TM Forum’s framework runs from Level 0, where network operations are largely manual, to Level 5, where the defined operational scenario is fully autonomous. A Level 3 or Level 4 assessment applies to the scenario being evaluated rather than automatically covering every network domain, operational process, or service operated by the telecom company.

TM Forum’s IG1252 methodology breaks network operations into processes, subprocesses, and tasks that are assessed against defined autonomy criteria. Its Autonomous Network Level Evaluation Tools, or ANLETs, apply that methodology to individual assessment scenarios.

TM Forum already supports assessments across several network domains and operational processes. When its Autonomous Network Level Assessment Validation service became generally available in 2025, supported scenarios included RAN fault management, core network fault management, IP network fault management, IP network optimisation, change management, network planning, and energy-efficiency optimisation.

Fixed-access fault management was not among the scenarios named in TM Forum’s June 2025 ANLAV launch announcement. TM Forum has since developed other fixed-network-related assessment tools, including one covering home broadband service assurance, while LG Uplus said an official framework specifically for fixed access fault management had remained unavailable.

From assessment to validation

Operators first conduct a self-assessment using the relevant Autonomous Network Level Evaluation Tool and methodology. They can then submit the results and supporting evidence through TM Forum’s Autonomous Network Level Assessment Validation, or ANLAV, programme.

TM Forum reviews whether its methodology was correctly applied and whether the evidence supports the submitted autonomy score. Its ANLAV terms state that scores can be adjusted during validation and that validation is not issued without sufficient supporting evidence.

ANLAV validates the assessment methodology and supporting evidence rather than certifying that the network itself performs at the claimed level. TM Forum says confirming actual network performance would require additional investigation and testing.

In June, Australia’s NBN Co received a TM Forum Level 4 validation for a service-assurance scenario within its fixed wireless network. The validation covered “Service Assurance – Single Service” in the fixed wireless domain, where an automated system manages atmospheric ducting events that can affect network performance.

According to Ericsson, which worked with NBN Co on the deployment, the system monitors network conditions, predicts service degradation, isolates root causes, and executes mitigation actions, including rollback, without human intervention during the standard operational flow. All eight capability areas in the assessment received the highest option, resulting in a Level 4.0 score for that scenario.

A TM Forum survey of 80 operators published in June found that 81% were targeting Level 4 or higher by 2030, while 20% expected to reach that level by 2027.

At the same event, TM Forum awarded 40 new ANLAV certificates to 17 CSPs and said almost 100 certificates had been awarded since the validation programme launched in June 2025. The certificates cover individual Autonomous Network scenarios.

(Photo by Ries Bosch)

See also: ByteLens launches AI platform for autonomous telecom fault repair

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