Welcome to this series analysing network autonomy efforts by leading telcos worldwide. In this first edition, we put the spotlight on a successful operator journey coming from China.

In the spotlight: China Mobile

China Mobile is an industry leader in terms of achievement towards autonomous networks (ANs). It has a systematic approach to deploying AI-enabled automation across its network processes and has developed metrics to track and measure its progress. The operator has publicised its mid- and long-term targets, and regularly reports against them. It is committed to developing best-practice methods and sharing its experience with peers through its participation in the TM Forum AN user groups. China Mobile also got involved in the development of its vendor-led autonomy solutions across its network and has upskilled its network team to do so.

More efficient fault elimination and network optimisation have been a key objective. Seven of the 13 L4 HVS publicised by June 2025 related to these categories. They applied to the core, transport, RAN, optical and IP domains, individually or cross-domain.

The company has reported some dramatic results:

• An IP network fault management solution developed with Huawei led to all software faults being fixed via closed-loop automation.
• A network optimisation project with ZTE led to a 50% increase in download speeds for users in a congested zone.
• Major network faults have reduced by 80% overall.

The eight high-value scenarios of 2024

Related research

• Total addressable market for AI solutions in the mobile telco network and OSS: USD18bn by 2030
• Networks for AI: Segmenting the growth
• Autonomous networks: The role of multi-agent systems
• Network innovation as an engine for growth: A manifesto

David Martin

David Martin

Senior analyst and Telco cloud lead

David Martin has specialised in telco cloud at STL Partners since 2016, writing numerous strategic reports on different aspects of the topic. He also originated STL’s Telco Cloud Deployment Tracker: a major database of commercial telco cloud deployments by leading operators worldwide. He is a telecoms analyst of around 25 years’ experience, having also worked for leading analyst firms including the now Analysys Mason and Omdia. David obtained a First Class degree in French and German at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he also pursued doctoral studies in French.