Wedoany.com Report on Feb 25th, At a roundtable prior to the Mobile World Congress trade show, Ishwar Parulkar, AWS's Chief Telecom Technologist, outlined a three-part agenda for the telecom industry. This includes modernizing legacy systems, automating networks using Agent AI, and integrating cloud infrastructure with emerging connectivity modes like satellites. These initiatives aim to help operators address digital sovereignty concerns and prepare for the 6G era.
Many telecom operators still run their core business and network software on aging platforms in private data centers. Parulkar pointed out that AWS sees a significant opportunity to migrate these environments to cloud-based deployment models. He stated, "Telecom companies have substantial assets in legacy applications like mainframe VMware and Sun Solaris. This is an area where we can assist many telecom companies globally." AWS cited its collaboration with AT&T as an example, a project involving over 1,500 workloads, including more than 1,000 VMware applications, with target environments including AWS Outposts.
Regarding network modernization, AWS combines IT updates with changes in how network functions and connectivity services are delivered. It has an agreement with Nokia to provide 5G core as a software-as-a-service and is collaborating with Lumen to offer programmable last-mile connectivity, directly linking enterprise branch offices to AWS Regions. These approaches drive telecom infrastructure towards more software-driven operations, with cloud platforms becoming a key part of this strategy, especially suitable for new digital services and virtualized network components.
Agent AI automation is the second theme, focusing on achieving autonomous network operations through agents. Parulkar emphasized this marks a turning point for a long-standing industry aspiration. He said, "Telecom companies have been talking about self-optimization and self-healing for a long time, but these were very idealized. With agents, all of this becomes reality. I think agents are very suitable and capable of solving these problems." AWS also mentioned Ericsson's R Apps as an example of AI-driven optimization for radio access networks. These applications will be available on AWS Marketplace, allowing operators to query network behavior and request optimizations through a natural language interface.
On the direction of 6G, Parulkar described an evolution beyond cloud-native design. He stated, "We believe 6G is not only cloud-native but also AI-native. AI will be more deeply integrated into the network to optimize and manage it, while the network itself will be built around AI applications at its core." He also combined 6G with digital twins, sensors, robotics, and autonomous vehicles, integrating terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity. Satellite links will not replace terrestrial infrastructure but will complement it, becoming more tightly integrated as standards evolve.
Regarding telecom company revenue, Parulkar believes Agent AI can give operators deeper insights into customer experience, enabling personalized services. He cited SK Telecom's Aster personal assistant and T-Mobile's real-time network translation as examples. Parulkar said, "Another significant but currently underutilized part that telecom companies have is data. Telecom companies possess vast data assets, and I believe they have the opportunity to create data products that Agent AI applications can leverage to create new revenue streams." AWS also shared customer activities in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Australia's Vocus reporting over 50% improvement in coding efficiency, and Korea's KT using Amazon Bedrock to build an enterprise customer service assistant.
