RegisterAutonomous Networks (AN) Framework
The AN Framework aims to provide a systematic method for operators from AN strategy planning to implementation, guiding them to carry out AN work more efficiently. The ANF includes four key elements: AN levels, Key Effectiveness Indicators (KEIs), AN Target Architecture, and AN Map, along with operation practices, industry assessment, and certification.
- AN Key Effectiveness Indicators (KEIs) measure the business value and operational effectiveness of AN. Defined based on CSPs’ value propositions, they quantitatively measure the business value delivered by AN to CSPs, customers, and industries, explicitly reflecting the value of AN evolution.
- AN Levels describe the level of autonomic capability in a given context, e.g. an operational workflow or for an autonomous domain. The AN Levels evaluation methodology guides network and service automation and intelligence, and helps to evaluate the value and benefits of AN-delivered services, and guides the upgrade path of CSPs’ and vendors’ systems.
- The complete AN Target Architecture includes the architecture vision, principles, conceptual architecture, and technical reference architecture comprehensively defined by TM Forum, and includes the work of domain-specific SDOs, like ETSI.
- The AN Key Requirements identifies the direction and priority of capability development, the scope and order of AN planning and deployment, and acts as a reference point for promoting AN efforts and successes as it matures. As such, it identifies the high-value use cases for AN.
The Autonomous Networks Journey refers to the process and progression of telecommunications networks towards full autonomy. This journey is often described in levels, similar to autonomous vehicles, ranging from basic automation to full autonomy. TM Forum's AN Project develops a framework and methodology for autonomous networks, including four essential pillars: Key Effectiveness Indicators (KEIs), AN levels, Target Architecture, and AN Map. The journey is specific to each CSP, or vendor, starting from a current AN level baseline and targeting a particular AN level, KEI, or set of high-value use cases.
AN Strategic Planning outlines corporate-level AN strategies and executives' commitments, providing guidance on implementing the autonomous blueprint. AN operation practices encompass both strategic planning and the iterative AN Journey, where operators execute CSP groups' strategies to achieve their objectives.
AN Framework Resources
| Resource Name | Document version | Document type | Team Approved Date | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0.0 | Introductory Guide | 14 Mar 2025 |
Key Effectiveness Indicators
Key Effectiveness Indicators (KEIs) are used for CSP to evaluate the effect of introducing autonomy capabilities into telecom system in terms of business growth, customer experience, and operational efficiency.
Overview
KEIs are quantitative or qualitative measures used to assess the extent to which objectives have been met. These indicators provide concrete evidence and data that help evaluate the effectiveness of autonomy efforts, allowing organizations to make informed decisions, track progress, and make necessary adjustments to achieve the desired outcomes (so called AN journey). KEIs can be considered as the important part of the Gap-analysis phase of the CSP AN journey.
The value of KEIs lies in two aspects:
- Visualizing and quantifying the effectiveness and benefits of AN evolution.
- Aligning the development of autonomous capabilities with the enterprise strategy and service development trend.
KEIs can be used in the following three scenarios:
- Formulating improvement objectives for AN based on KEIs. For example, if the service delivery target at L4 is measured in minutes, the target baseline can be set based on an operator’s O&M status, experience of benchmark CSPs and annual investment budget. Note that the baseline value is not equivalent to a characteristic of L4.
- Guiding capability development by associating KEIs with operation capabilities and converting and breaking down capability requirements. For example, the time needed for optical transport network private line service delivery can be broken down into various key capability metrics, such as the time needed for CPE deployment and solution design. These capability metrics can be mapped to specific functional requirements for support systems, operations and maintenance centers, and network elements.
- Verifying the effectiveness of operation capability development based on KEIs to provide inputs for the next AN Journey – the inputs include adjustments to the rationality of objectives, investment plan changes and optimized development directions.
AN KEI Resources
| Resource Name | Document version | Document type | Team Approved Date | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Autonomous Network Levels Evaluation Methodology v1.2.0 (IG1252) |
1.2.0 | Introductory Guide | 16 Jun 2023 | |
|
GB1059 Autonomous Network Level Evaluation Tool (ANLET) v1.0.0 |
1.0.0 | Guidebook | 3 May 2024 |
Autonomous Networks Levels
Autonomous Networks levels (AN Levels) measure the level of autonomic capability in a given network scenario (for example: fault management on the radio access network, quality optimization on the IP network…). Many network operators have set a strategic goal to achieve AN Level 4, which requires intelligent automation using AI. To find out more about AN Levels, read the Level 4 industry blueprint report.
AN Levels are classified from Level 0 to Level 5, from manual management to fully Autonomous Networks. A general methodology for evaluating AN Levels is defined in the TM Forum standard IG1252.
AN Level evaluations for specific scenarios are carried out using standardized AN Level Evaluation Tools published as a series of spreadsheet-based questionnaires (see GB1059). These are designed to help operators quickly identify weaknesses in their autonomous network capability and accelerate iterative autonomous network deployment.
Autonomous Network Level Assessment Validations
TM Forum provides a service to independently validate that an operator’s Autonomous Network Level assessment has been carried out correctly according to the methodology detailed in IG1252 using the standardized GB1059 AN Level Evaluation Tools, and that the evidence provided is appropriate for the AN Level score stated. Please contact [email protected] for more information about this service.
The following table shows AN Level validations for network operators who have agreed to share their results publicly. Many more operators are sharing the results of their AN Level assessments within the Autonomous Networks collaboration project, which is open for all TM Forum members to join.
| Company | AN Scenario | AN Level | ANLET Version | Network Location | Validation Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
RAN Energy Efficiency Optimization
|
4.0 | GB1059H v1.0.0 | Denmark | June 2025 |
|
Core Network Stability
|
3.6 | GB1059B v2.0.0 | Indonesia | June 2025 |
|
|
Core Network Fault Management
|
3.0 | GB1059B v2.0.0 | Indonesia | June 2025 |
|
RAN Fault Management
|
3.7 | GB1059A v2.0.0 | Guangdong, China | May 2025 |
|
3.8 | GB1059A v2.0.0 | China (31 provinces) | May 2025 | |
|
|
3.6 | GB1059B v2.0.0 | China (31 provinces) | May 2025 | |
|
|
3.6 | GB1059B v2.0.0 | China (31 provinces) | May 2025 | |
|
IP Fault Management
|
2.9 | GB1059D v1.0.0 | Thailand | April 2025 |
|
2.7 | GB1059B v2.0.0 | Indonesia | November 2024 | |
|
|
3.5 | GB1059B v2.0.0 | Indonesia | November 2024 | |
|
|
3.2 | GB1059A v2.0.0 | Thailand | October 2024 |
AN level Resources
| Resource Name | Document version | Document type | Team Approved Date | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Autonomous Network Levels Evaluation Methodology v1.2.0 (IG1252) |
1.2.0 | Introductory Guide | 16 Jun 2023 | |
|
GB1059 Autonomous Network Level Evaluation Tool (ANLET) v1.0.0 |
1.0.0 | Guidebook | 3 May 2024 | |
| 6.0.0 | Introductory Guide | 31 Oct 2024 | ||
|
IG1401B TM Forum AN Journey Guide: Innovation in autonomous networks (Appendix B) v6.0.0 |
6.0.0 | Introductory Guide | 31 Oct 2024 |
Autonomous Networks Target Architecture
This area contains TM Forum’s Autonomous Networks Architectures derived from business vision, to help CSPs accelerate Autonomous Networks transformation, and systematically promoting the evolution toward network automation and intelligence.
Overview
The complete AN target architecture includes the architecture vision, architecture principles, conceptual architecture and technical reference architecture comprehensively defined by TM Forum, ETSI and domain-specific SDOs.
To define the Autonomous Networks (AN) target architecture, CSPs can follow this structured process:
- Establish the architectural vision and principles by drawing insights from corporate strategic directives, business strategies, technical prerequisites, architecture requirements, AN standards, and prevailing industry technology trends.
- Articulate a functional architecture that aligns with corporate strategic goals, drawing from Autonomous networks's functional reference architecture and existing architectural capabilities.
- Put architectural principles into practice in alignment with corporate strategic objectives for specific business scenarios. Enhance business capabilities based on assessments of AN Level and effectiveness.
- Continuously refine the target architecture in an iterative manner, drawing insights from issues encountered during implementation.
For the architectural vision and principles and conceptual architecture, refer to the IG1218 autonomous networks business requirements and framework.. For the definition of the top-level architecture, refer to the IG1251 autonomous networks reference architecture. For the definition of the functional architecture, refer to the architecture definition standards of each domain in the IG1251A autonomous networks reference architecture realizations. In addition, IG1230 autonomous networks technical architecture provides the definition of key technologies in the autonomous networks architecture.
AN Architecture Resources
| Resource Name | Document version | Document type | Team Approved Date | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Autonomous Networks - Reference Architecture v1.0.1 (IG1251) |
1.0.1 | Introductory Guide | 11 Jul 2022 | |
|
Autonomous Networks Business Requirements and Framework v3.0.0 (IG1218) |
3.0.0 | Introductory Guide | 3 May 2024 | |
| 1.1.1 | Introductory Guide | 9 Dec 2022 |
Autonomous Networks Requirements
The journey towards network autonomy (AN) involves complex coordination across diverse networks, platforms, and systems from various vendors. TMF IG1339 provides a holistic view of the highest priority requirements from CSPs based on the most important scenarios from CSPs’ perspective.
Overview
Operators who have embarked on their respective AN journeys all ask the same question, namely "can you quantify the benefits of AN?“. That question is essentially related to analyze AN requirements and their inherent value for operators. To this end, the AN requirements are introduced to take the role of a consensus on listing operators’ key requirements, and thus guide the direction and priority of capability development, identify the scope and order of AN planning and deployment.
AN Requirement resources
| Resource Name | Document version | Document type | Team Approved Date | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1.0 | Introductory Guide | 16 May 2025 |
Autonomous Networks Operation Practice
Operational best practices are used as a step by step guidance on how to break down business strategies for an optimized AN journey.
- AN Strategic Planning (ANSP) is the input for an AN journey, the AN strategies, for example, what is the next target Level?, which KEIs can be used to measure the AN benefits?, which scenarios should be preferentially satisfied? Are answered within the ANSP phase (IG1218F).
- AN Journey is an iterative process whereby opcos execute CSP groups’ strategies to achieve their objectives.
- Assessment: for each scenario, CSPs attend the assessment activities based on the AN Level (IG1252) and AN KEIs (IG1256), establish baselines and set improvement goals.
- Gap analysis: analyze the gaps between the baselines and goal, identify the root causes of breakpoints and weaknesses through process walk-through.
- Solution design: based on the target architecture (IG1251) and enabler technologies (IG1345), recognize key requirements (IG1339) and convert into function requirements.
- Implementation: launch the solutions at opcos to facilitate the transition to production and replication among more opcos to improve their ANL and KEIs and achieve the business goal. Some AN CSP Use Cases can refer to.
AN Operation Practice resources
| Resource Name | Document version | Document type | Team Approved Date | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0.0 | Introductory Guide | 14 Mar 2025 | ||
|
Autonomous Network Levels Evaluation Methodology v1.2.0 (IG1252) |
1.2.0 | Introductory Guide | 16 Jun 2023 | |
| 3.0.0 | Introductory Guide | 8 Nov 2024 | ||
|
Autonomous Networks - Reference Architecture v1.0.1 (IG1251) |
1.0.1 | Introductory Guide | 11 Jul 2022 | |
|
IG1345 Embracing Generative AI in Telecom: Amplifying Autonomous Network Evolution v1.1.0 |
1.1.0 | Exploratory Report | 10 Jan 2025 | |
| 2.1.0 | Introductory Guide | 16 May 2025 |