22 July 2025
Samar Mittal, Vice President and Head of Cloud and Network Services MEA, Nokia
In Africa, where telecom operators manage a wide spectrum of technologies — ranging from 3G to cutting-edge 5G — automation serves as a unifying force that enhances operations regardless of where an operator is on its technological journey. Zero-touch automation, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven efficiencies, and predictive network maintenance are becoming essential components for ensuring long-term competitiveness and sustainability.
The measurable benefits of automation
Quantifying the impact of automation varies depending on an operator’s level of investment, but early results demonstrate significant returns. Nokia’s work with Safaricom Kenya, for example, has shown that AI-driven energy-saving solutions can lead to notable cost reductions. In some transformation projects, process efficiencies have improved by 50-60%, enabling faster service delivery and better customer satisfaction.
Automation is a journey, not a one-time implementation. Operators that strategically invest in automation progressively unlock new benefits. By reducing the time required for anomaly detection and correction by 20-30%, automation enhances network stability, minimises disruptions, and improves service quality. As MNOs continue down this path, their ability to monetise services and enhance customer experiences will continue to expand.
The core reasons for automating networks in Africa are clear: efficiency, cost savings, and improved customer experiences. With rising energy costs and inflationary pressures affecting the continent, operators must find ways to optimise resources and reinvest savings into network expansion.
Additionally, automation helps operators meet the growing demands of consumers. If a process that once took weeks can now be completed in days — or even hours — customer satisfaction improves dramatically. Faster service provisioning, reduced downtime, and proactive network maintenance all contribute to a more competitive telecom landscape in Africa.
The pitfalls of a piecemeal approach
ne of the key lessons learned from global automation projects is that a fragmented, piecemeal approach does not yield sustainable results. Operators that deploy automation without a clear long-term blueprint risk investing in tools that become obsolete as network architectures evolve.
Today’s networks are transitioning to cloud-native functions (CNFs) and software-defined architectures. Without a long-term vision — spanning at least 5-10 years — automation efforts may lack scalability and integration potential.
Instead, MNOs should define a holistic automation strategy that considers multi-vendor environments, interoperability, and future-proofing. A structured roadmap ensures that each investment contributes to a broader transformation, enabling operators to seamlessly integrate new technologies and maximise their automation ROI.
Overcoming cost concerns amidst hyper-automation
Many African MNOs operate within tight financial constraints, leading to concerns about the capital expenditure (CapEx) required for automation. However, automation does not demand an all-at-once investment. Instead, operators can take a phased approach — starting with low-hanging fruit in their automation journey and reinvesting savings into further improvements.
The industry follows the TM Forum’s automation maturity model, which ranges from Level 0 (manual processes) to Level 5 (full hyper-automation). By gradually advancing from basic automation to AI-driven closed-loop networks, operators can reap incremental benefits without overwhelming their budgets. The key is to start with strategic automation implementations that generate immediate efficiencies, then use those gains to fund the next stage of automation.
Indeed, as automation maturity increases, the industry is moving toward hyper-automation — a zero-touch, zero-wait, zero-trouble and zero-trust model that eliminates human intervention. In this model, networks are self-monitoring and self-healing. AI and machine learning detect anomalies, diagnose issues, and implement corrective actions without manual oversight.
Globally, some of the most advanced operators are already reaching Level 3 and Level 4 automation, with plans to achieve full hyper-automation in the coming years. While African MNOs are at different stages in their automation journey, they are quickly progressing. Given the continent’s scale, population growth, and increasing demand for digital services, there is no reason to believe that African operators will stop at intermediate levels of automation. Instead, they are likely to push forward toward full automation to meet market demands and enhance network resilience.
Automation beyond telecom
rimarily associated with telecom operators, its benefits extend to other industries. In Africa, automation is gaining traction in sectors such as public safety and mission-critical communications, utilities, railways and manufacturing.
Automation is also becoming a critical component for data centres. As Africa’s data centre industry expands to meet the continent’s growing cloud computing and digital storage needs, automation is playing a vital role in infrastructure management, bandwidth optimisation, and service provisioning. The use cases in data centres differ from traditional telecom automation, but the underlying principles of efficiency, security, and cost optimisation remain the same.
Of course, with increasing digitisation comes heightened security risks. Automation is not just about efficiency — it is also a crucial tool for strengthening cybersecurity. By leveraging AI-driven threat detection and response mechanisms, networks can identify and neutralise threats before they escalate. Security automation ensures that African MNOs and enterprises are not only optimising their networks but also safeguarding them against evolving cyber threats.
Africa’s automation - a path to the future
Africa’s automation journey is poised for significant growth. Over the next 5-10 years, operators will continue toward higher levels of automation, driven by the need for efficiency, cost savings, and improved customer experiences. Automation will not stall at Level 3 — it will continue evolving, mirroring global trends. With the increasing adoption of AI, cloud-native functions, and predictive analytics, African operators will accelerate their automation initiatives, positioning themselves as leaders in the global telecom landscape.
The future of network automation in Africa is not just about improving efficiencies — it is about transforming the industry, driving innovation, and shaping the digital future of the continent. Those who embrace automation will be the ones to thrive in the next era of telecommunications.
