Huawei Debuts New Autonomous Network Solution

Huawei's push for autonomous networks targets a significant pain point for telecom operators: the rising complexity and cost of managing modern networks. As 5G and cloud technologies evolve, issues like software-hardware decoupling, multi-vendor integration, and surges in signaling traffic have increased service interruptions, with 42% of operators reporting core network outages in the last three years. The ICNMaster solution is a key component of Huawei's strategy to achieve Level 4 (L4) autonomous networks. An L4 network can autonomously detect, predict, and repair issues, aiming to resolve problems before they impact the end-user experience. This level of automation is positioned as crucial for handling the demands of 5G-Advanced (5G-A) and the eventual transition to 6G. At its core, ICNMaster utilizes a "Telecom Foundation Model," a digital twin of the network, and intelligent agents to automate operations across planning, maintenance, and optimization. By creating a virtual replica of the network, operators can simulate changes and predict failures, moving from reactive troubleshooting to proactive prevention. Early adoption by carriers like China Mobile has yielded significant efficiency gains. In their Zhejiang branch, the implementation of ICNMaster's intelligent agents automated tasks equivalent to the work of over 30 experienced engineers, drastically cutting down manual intervention. For instance, the system reduced the average time to handle a core network alarm ticket from 90 minutes down to just 12. The solution introduces intelligent agents named "CompSpirit" and "AssurSpirit" to specifically handle complaint and alarm resolution. These agents automate processes like complaint classification, signaling analysis, and ticket filling, which were previously manual and time-consuming tasks requiring expert knowledge. This move is part of a broader industry trend acknowledged by TM Forum, which has established standards for core network stability and autonomous network levels. Huawei's strategy with ICNMaster is to help operators systematically upgrade their networks to meet these L4 criteria for high stability and efficiency. The announcement was made at MWC Barcelona 2026, where Huawei's Senior Vice President Li Peng emphasized the convergence of 5G-A and AI as a driver for this new phase of network automation. The company is actively collaborating with operators to deploy these AI-centric solutions on a larger scale.