This Appledore Research Note examines Verizon’s shift from network automation to network autonomy, as set out publicly by CTO Yago Tenorio, but referencing additional inputs from the 2026 DTW event. Verizon frames the move as a step-change from scripted, rules-based control to reasoning agents that act on situations they were never programmed for, and it is doing so at unusual scale across both its workforce and its radio network.

We note the two building blocks Verizon is relying on – device-derived telemetry that reflects customer experience rather than operator KPIs, and an agent training regime that codifies its own radio expertise – and the demonstrations Verizon that show its capabilities and approach on “agentification”. We contrast Verizon’s approach with others such as AT&T, T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom, and identify some outstanding questions.

Written for CSP strategy and network teams, RAN and OSS practitioners, and investors tracking tier-1 AI execution, it provides a snapshot of one of world’s largest telcos on their journey towards ever-more autonomous networks.