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The industry has accepted the destination that is AI-driven autonomous networks. The challenge now is to build systems that operators can trust to make decisions across real networks. And to make every step create actual business benefits.
Trust is becoming the licence to automate
DTW Ignite took place in Copenhagen on 23–25 June 2026, preceded as usual by Nokia’s analyst day on 22 June. More than events such as Mobile World Congress, DTW has always focused on the practical realities of telecoms transformation rather than headline announcements. It is where the industry comes to discuss how telecom operators can modernise their networks and operations, often through collaborative initiatives that bring together operators, vendors and standards bodies.
Trust emerged as the defining buzzword of the event. More interesting than the frequency with which it was mentioned, however, was what speakers actually meant by it. Across keynote sessions, vendor presentations and Catalyst demonstrations, trust was presented less as a marketing message than as a technical capability. It encompasses governance, observability, explainability and security – everything needed to allow operators to hand progressively greater decision-making authority to AI systems without losing confidence or control.
Alongside this focus on building trusted autonomy, another theme emerged. While the industry has become increasingly sophisticated at explaining how autonomous networks can be realised, it remains less convincing at explaining what they are for beyond reducing costs – i.e. how they will become commercially significant and differentiating. That tension ran through much of the event.
In our report we explore this tension, highlight examples where the commercial significance of automation did shine through, and assess various interpretations of trust that emerged at the event.
