TLDR: Telecommunication companies are facing a significant challenge managing the overwhelming volume of data generated by their networks. Industry leaders at the Ericsson OSS/BSS Summit 2025 highlighted data as the primary hurdle to achieving Level 4 automation, with AI emerging as a crucial, albeit still imperfect, tool to process and leverage this ‘data deluge’ for operational efficiency and revenue growth.
LONDON – Telecommunication companies continue to be inundated by an unprecedented volume of data, a challenge identified as the foremost barrier to achieving advanced network automation. This critical issue was a central theme at Ericsson’s 26th OSS/BSS Summit in London, where industry experts emphasized that the ability to effectively manage and comprehend this data is paramount for telcos’ success in an AI-driven future.
Speakers from major players like AT&T, BT, and Australian wholesale operator NBN discussed their strategies for data management and the integration of artificial intelligence to progress towards Level 4 automation. This level of automation envisions networks making autonomous decisions based on predictive data analysis, moving beyond human intervention.
Phil Stubbs, AI/Data software engineering director at BT Group, articulated the core problem, stating, “Data is the problem, and it’s the first thing we need to tackle. There is more data produced today than anyone could possibly use.” This sentiment was echoed by Alex Bhak, global lead of the telecommunication practice at Bain & Company, and Joseph Dahan, director and member of the technical staff at AT&T.
The scale of this data challenge is immense, often described as being in the exabyte category. Joseph Dahan of AT&T projected that by 2028, AT&T alone could be collecting “perhaps over half a petabyte of data per day, collected from our own network.” This exponential growth exacerbates existing issues, particularly the fragmentation of data sources and databases that have accumulated over years of disparate solution building.
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While AI is seen as a potential game-changer, offering the promise of increased revenue and reduced capital expenditure (capex) and operational expenditure (opex), its implementation is not without hurdles. Currently, humans remain ‘in the loop’ because AI systems are still prone to errors. However, the prudent application of AI is viewed as the key to finally harnessing the ‘firehose of data’ that has plagued the industry for decades. The consensus among attendees was clear: mastering the data deluge through intelligent automation is no longer an option but a necessity for telcos navigating the complexities of the modern digital landscape.
