“The Role of Agentic AI in Telecommunications – Streamlining Digital and Network Operations” examines the transformative potential of Agentic AI in the telecommunications industry. The report highlights the significant operational expenses faced by telecom operators and posits that strategic investment in Agentic AI, even a small fraction of these expenses, can dramatically improve efficiency, customer service, revenue, and network performance.

Agentic AI, defined as autonomous AI agents capable of independently performing complex, multi-step tasks, is presented as the next frontier in AI innovation. These agents can interact with diverse data sources, continuously learn, and coordinate to complete complex tasks more efficiently than human experts. The report details key application areas for Agentic AI in telecom, including billing and monetization, customer care, service assurance, network optimization, and network security.

Several case studies illustrate the current impact of AI in the telecom sector, focusing on partnerships with Microsoft. AT&T implemented a generative AI chatbot (“Ask AT&T”), Lumen (a Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales), Vodafone (Microsoft Azure AI tools to enhance its TOBi chatbot and an internal virtual assistant) leading to improved customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

The report also explores emerging applications of Agentic AI in network traffic optimization and service assurance with RAN slicing. Microsoft’s strategy, centered around integrating Agentic AI into platforms like Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Copilot Studio, and Azure AI Foundry, is positioned as a key enabler for telecom operators to achieve autonomous networks and customer-centric innovation. The value to the telecom C-suite is emphasized, with Agentic AI offering strategic simulations for CEOs, improved forecasting for CFOs, streamlined governance for CIOs, and predictive network control for CTOs.