Originally published on thefastmode.com
As telecom networks grow more complex and customer expectations continue to rise, operators are under increasing pressure to transform how they manage and operate their infrastructure. At the same time, the need to reduce operational costs while maintaining high service quality is pushing communication service providers toward more intelligent, automated models.
Reporting from MWC Barcelona 2026, The Fast Mode spoke to Jay Naillon, VP and Global Head of Solutions – Telecom, Media, Technology & Utilities at Sutherland, about the growing pressure on telecom network operations to evolve, and how AI-first automation and agentic operations are helping operators manage increasing network complexity while improving efficiency and customer experience.
What Part of the Telecom Value Chain Is Under the Greatest Pressure to Reinvent Itself Right Now — and Why?
The part under the greatest pressure is network operations and automation, driven by the need to move beyond traditional, reactive models to AI-first and autonomous systems. At MWC 2026, Sutherland’s focus is on agentic operations, where closed-loop intelligence, predictive analytics, and multi-agent orchestration redefine how networks operate.
This reinvention is essential as communication service providers face rising complexity, increasing customer expectations for real-time performance, and ongoing cost-to-serve pressures. Operators must shift from manual, siloed processes to autonomous, intent-driven operations that reduce OpEx, improve MTTR, and enhance customer experience across RAN, core, transport, private networks, and CX.
This transformation, combining AI, automation, and engineering expertise, is critical for long-term resilience and competitive differentiation.
What Operational, Network, or Business Outcomes Can Customers Expect One to Two Years After Deploying Your Solutions, and How Can Those Outcomes Be Measured?
Within one to two years of deploying Sutherland’s AI-first network and operations solutions, telecom operators can expect measurable improvements in efficiency, resilience, and customer experience.
Our agentic automation models enable up to a 30–40% reduction in manual operational effort, faster incident detection and resolution, and meaningful improvement in MTTR through predictive analytics and closed-loop remediation. Operators also see lower OpEx, improved SLA adherence, and higher network availability across RAN, core, and transport environments.
Beyond operational gains, intelligent automation improves customer satisfaction by minimizing service disruptions and accelerating issue resolution. These outcomes are measured through automation rates, incident reduction, MTTR improvement, cost-to-serve metrics, SLA performance, and NPS impact, delivering clear, data-backed business value and sustainable competitive advantage.
About The Author: Ariana Lynn is a Principal Analyst and IP Networks Specialist at The Fast Mode. She specializes in IP networking, covering both operator networks – core, transport, edge and access; and enterprise and cloud networks. Her work involves the analysis of cutting-edge technologies that drive application visibility, traffic awareness, network optimization, network security, virtualization and cloud-native architectures.