“Service definitions of 2008 vintage will not cut it any longer.” 

This Appledore Research Note examines Mplify’s Member Summit – Americas in Boston, part of the Global NaaS Events series. It finds an alliance that has moved well beyond its Metro Ethernet roots, now pursuing automated, on-demand connectivity across clouds, data centers and partner networks, just as AI reshapes the traffic those networks carry.

We assess eight themes from the summit, from AI traffic and agentic traffic routers to the shift from writing LSO definitions to the harder work of implementing them. We also give our candid view of what presenters only hinted at: many operators are bolting LSO APIs onto legacy systems that were never designed for intent, and that foundation, in our assessment, is where ecosystem automation will founder or succeed.

The note is written for CSP wholesale and enterprise strategy teams, OSS and automation leaders, and NaaS ecosystem partners. It offers a solid read on where LSO adoption really stands and where the opportunity for operators lies.

Companies mentioned in this report include: Amartus, AT&T, Cloudflare, Colt, Comcast Business, Equinix, Fortinet, Graphiant, Lumen, MaiaEdge, Orchest, PCCW Global/Console Connect, RAD, SecureIQLab, ServiceNow, Sparkle, Verizon, Vodafone