“A.I. do”- the marriage of AI and networking – part 2

In part 1 of this series, I looked at how AI can potentially affect the design process of telco networks. In this post I will delve a little deeper into how as well as design the network, AI will help manage, maintain and protect it.

Managing network congestion

Right now networks are monitored by algorithms which look for anomalous build-ups of traffic and activity which may be the result of malicious activities such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and attempted hacks. As the AI powering these algorithms becomes more intelligent, it will find faster and more fool-proof methods of anticipating threats and cleaning the network.

Another example is that AI will be able to better predict traffic as it collects and analyses data in real-time, meaning network managers are better prepared for big events such as the Olympics, Black Friday and Singles Day, which often put the Internet under pressure.

AI will also play a central role in software-defined wide area networks (SD-WAN) of the future. It’s still a nascent technology but SD-WAN is set for huge growth: Gartner predicts that by 2018 more than 40% of WAN edge infrastructure refresh initiatives will be SD-WAN-based, up from less than 2% today.

Empowered by AI, an SD-WAN allows enterprises to deploy a new kind of hybrid network that combines the scalability of the Internet with security and reliability of a private network. The ability to automatically and dynamically route traffic between the Internet and the private network, ensures that employees are able to enjoy superfast, secure access to applications and data to collaborate securely and seamlessly, wherever in the world they are.

AI-connected world

With this combination of AI-designed underlying network topologies and AI-driven software defined networking we will eventually see more profound evolutions of what networks are capable of. One idea is that of a universal network – a living, breathing global ecosystem.

Today, telecoms service providers and mobile operators strive to deliver an “always-best connected” experience to consumers. However, no matter what levels of automated switching and offloading capabilities are programmed into networks, they still don’t actively “think” for themselves.

AI has the power to radically change this, enabling us to move away from a traditional distributed network matrix. The ubiquitous network topology will emerge thanks to AI. Everything will be connected everywhere we will be able to connect data anywhere.

We will no longer have to think about whether we are using Wifi, a mobile network, Bluetooth, or one of the many IoT network technologies. It will just work. Ultimately, we won’t need a mobile phone, a wearable or any other device to access this connectivity universe – our innumerable applications will become a virtual platform as we interact with them or even put them on our bodies.

AI networks and humans

Of course, this would require a lot of work to be done by us humans first. Creating a world where all networks work harmoniously together to give all consumers a best-connected experience is a task that the telecoms industry must work together to achieve in a way that is mutually beneficial to everyone in the global network ecosystem and consumers.

We need to see continued investment by all players in global networking to ensure that the infrastructure and systems that people and businesses rely on will be able to keep up with their growing digital demands.

Imagine a universal network that can make decisions for you based on your location and activity – seamlessly routing you to the best possible network to handle the task you are carrying out without interrupting your experience. Within this world, AI would be the facilitator of real-time conversations between networks ensuring that all interactions are receiving the best-possible quality of service out of the connections available to them.

Total rethink

In summary, I expect the impact of AI in the design, management and protection of future networks to be radical. However, as well as the more functional, operational elements, the advent of AI provides a huge opportunity to revolutionise the world’s networks. This is particularly important when one considers that we are at the tipping point where the things we use networks is about to change forever, thanks to things such as IoT-enabled autonomous vehicles and always-connected smart city systems.

In this context, will AI prompt a total rethink of whether the current business models are conducive to providing the best possible user experience and the most cost-effective way possible? Because if it does, that truly would be a profoundly positive impact of AI on our industry.

Read one of our previous blogs on the future of telecoms and who is shaping it.